Borussia Dortmund v Barcelona: Line-ups, stats and preview

Match Preview for Borussia Dortmund v Barcelona

Borussia Dortmund head into the return against Barcelona accepting it will be “one of the biggest miracles in the history of the club” if they can overturn a four-goal first-leg deficit and advance into the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Dortmund were overrun and outplayed in Catalonia last week with two goals from former favourite Robert Lewandowski in between efforts from Raphinha and Lamine Yamal giving Barca a commanding lead to take to Germany.

It was a sobering night for Niko Kovac’s men but they are eager not to let it affect their goals over the remainder of the season with the return followed by a home game against fellow European hopefuls Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga.

Lars Ricken, the club’s managing director for sport, emphasised the importance of this week.

He said: “I want a victory against Barcelona and against Gladbach too. Barcelona is important, even though progression would be one of the biggest miracles in the history of Borussia Dortmund. 

“But the stadium is sold out again; we have to give it everything we’ve got. And then of course at home to Gladbach at the weekend too. We can overtake Gladbach with a win.”

Dortmund did, at least, regain some credit with a 2-2 draw at Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich in Der Klassiker on Saturday.

And Kovac is hopeful of further improvement against Barca, adding: “For me, it’s about facing the game with the intention of winning it and demonstrating in our stadium that we can face Barça.”

¡Nos vamos a Dortmund! ✈️🫡 pic.twitter.com/zm3OIrS0QD

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) April 14, 2025

It was a good weekend for Barcelona domestically.

Their 1-0 win at Leganes meant they retained their four-point lead at the summit of La Liga and they will head to Germany full of confidence.

Team News for Borussia Dortmund v Barcelona

Midfielder Pascal Gross missed the first leg through suspension but will return. Winger Karim Adeyemi is banned.

Emre Can missed training this morning but is expected to be fit.

Emre Can fehlt beim Abschlusstraining vo #BVBBarca auf dem Platz. Der Kapitän trainiert heute morgen individuell. pic.twitter.com/K68FZKXPx9

— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) April 14, 2025

Barca included Dani Olmo in their squad with the Spain midfielder nearing a return from injury.

Defender Íñigo Martínez will start the game on the bench as he is a booking away from a suspension and would miss the first leg of the semi-final should Barca progress.

Left-back Alejandro Balde sustained an injury against Leganes and will not travel to Germany.

Predicted line-ups for Borussia Dortmund v Barcelona

Borussia Dortmund: Kobel; Ryerson, Can, Anton, Bensebaini; Gross, Nmecha; Gittens, Brandt, Reyna; Guirassy

Barcelona: Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Martin; Pedri, De Jong; Yamal, Lopez, Raphinha; Lewandowski

How to watch Borussia Dortmund v Barcelona: TV and online stream

Borussia Dortmund v Barcelona kicks off at 8pm UK time tomorrow night. You can watch it on TNT Sports 1 with the programme starting at 7.30pm.

It can be streamed via the Discovery+ app.

Stats for Borussia Dortmund v Barcelona

Prediction for Borussia Dortmund v Barcelona

The only thing Barca have to guard against here is complacency.

They proved last week they are a vastly superior side and assuming they keep their concentration, progression should be a formality.

For once, the Yellow Wall may actually be a hindrance to Dortmund as Barca’s players will be inspired by the atmosphere and will want to put on a show rather than going through the motions.

Dortmund will come out firing early on but that could leave gaps that the likes of Yamal and Lewandowski are good enough to exploit.

Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 1-3 Barcelona