Borussia Dortmund vs. Paris Saint-Germain preview: Team news and predicted lineups
Photo: Borussia Dortmund/OneFootball |
Borussia Dortmund will be playing in a Champions League semifinal for the first time since 2013, when they host Paris Saint-Germain at Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday night.
The Black and Yellows have not exactly had the ideal build-up to the match, losing 4-1 to RB Leipzig at the weekend - a painful defeat in the race for a top-four finish in the Bundesliga.
However, Edin Terzic's men can take heart from their last two home games - a 4-2 win over Atletico Madrid and a 1-1 draw with newly crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, who found an equaliser deep into stoppage time.
Dortmund also faced PSG in the group stage of the tournament, drawing 1-1 at home and losing 2-0 in Paris. However, BVB winger Jadon Sancho has emphasized that the past matches hold little significance now, focusing on the upcoming challenge.
“It's a new game, the group stage is in the past. We just have to concentrate on what's in front of us and how we want to play in the tie,” Sancho said in an interview published on Borussia Dortmund's website.
Paris lost 3-2 at home to Barcelona in the first leg of their quarterfinal tie, but came back to book a place in the semi-finals with a clear 4-1 victory in the reverse fixture.
Since then, the French champions have won two and drawn one in the French Ligue 1, where they have a comfortable 12-point cushion at the top of the table.
In terms of team news, Ramy Bensebaini and Julien Duranville remain sidelined for Dortmund. Emre Can and Ian Maatsen are back from suspension, while Marcel Sabitzer, Donyell Malen and Sebastien Haller could be included in the squad as well after returning to training on Monday.
PSG coach Luis Enrique has a full squad available except for the injured Presnel Kimpembe.