Champions League : What should PSG expect from Dortmund in the semi-finals ?
A few months after facing off in the group stage, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund will meet again in the Champions League semi-finals at the end of April. This is an eagerly anticipated match for the German club, which seems to have undergone a transformation in recent months. Let’s take a closer look.
It’s a familiar setting for Paris Saint-Germain. As the last French representative in the Champions League, the capital club secured their ticket to the semi-finals of Europe’s most prestigious competition by overcoming FC Barcelona over two legs. With their backs against the wall after a defeat at the Parc des Princes, the reigning French champions found enough strength to turn the tide at Montjuïc and eliminate Barcelona from their path (6-4 on aggregate). Returning to the semi-finals four years after their last appearance, PSG will face an old acquaintance: Borussia Dortmund.
After being at a disadvantage following their first-leg defeat at the Wanda Metropolitano, the German club showed their teeth to secure qualification by defeating Atlético Madrid in the return leg at an electrifying Signal Iduna Park (5-4 on aggregate). Following two encounters in the group stage that saw a Parisian victory at the Parc des Princes (2-0) followed by a draw on German soil (1-1), Parisians and Dortmund will battle it out at the end of April with a ticket to the grand final at Wembley Stadium on June 1st on the line. Proud of his team after the match against Atletico, Edin Terzic already set the tone for the reception of the Parisians.
« I am extremely happy, extremely pleased and proud of the team and the club. The atmosphere tonight was exceptional. Looking at both matches, I think we deserve to qualify for the semi-finals. PSG? We managed to stay ahead of them in the group and qualified as group winners for the round of 16. I believe we are an even more stable and better team than we were in September or November. The first leg there did not please us at all, we were far from what we wanted to do. But it was still a tight match. The second leg here was completely different. It was also a tight match, but we were closer than PSG to victory », explained the German-Croatian coach to the press.
