The UEFA Champions League returns tonight with fresh memories of last week’s 1st leg matches still fresh in fans’ memories. Borussia Dortmund play host to Atletico Madrid whilst Barcelona entertain PSG at the Camp Nou.
Atlético Madrid will be hoping to capitalise on their first-leg advantage when they visit Borussia Dortmund for the return meeting of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie at Signal Iduna Park.
Rodrigo De Paul and Samuel Lino were on target at the Cívitas Metropolitano in last week’s first leg before an 81st-minute strike from Sébastien Haller offered Dortmund some hope of making the last four.
That took Ivory Coast international Haller to 12 goals in just 13 appearances in this competition (11 in eight for Ajax, one in five for Dortmund), averaging a strike every 72 minutes. That minutes-per-goal rate is the best in the history of UEFA’s top competition among the 415 players to have scored at least five times.
In Spain take on PSG hoping to do the business and finish off the French Champions.Barcelona last lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy to cap Xavi’s final game as a player with the club, as a team spearheaded by the attacking trident of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar beat Juventus in the 2014-15 final. As Xavi the head coach prepares to depart in the summer, European glory is again his aim, and Barcelona have one foot in the semi-finals after last week’s 3-2 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in France.
Ahead of this week’s quarter-final second legs, the Opta supercomputer makes Barcelona second favourites to win the tournament, their 17.8% chance of glory putting them behind only Manchester City (30.2%). No team is viewed as more likely to reach the last four than the Blaugrana, who successfully defend their first-leg advantage in 76.3% of our tournament simulations.
Following an impressive first half, Barca found themselves 2-1 down early in the second period at the Parc des Princes, courtesy of quickfire goals from Ousmane Dembélé and Vitinha. However, Raphinha got his second goal following a delightful pass from substitute Pedri, before Andreas Christensen’s header put Xavi’s men in the ascendency.
Whilst Atletico and Barca are in the ascendancy going into tonight’s matches, their passage into the semis is not a forgone conclusion as the Champions league is one tournament that is full of surprises.