Quarter-finals served: Barça and Dortmund, face to face again in the Champions League

Published:12/03/2025 - 20:56h

Updated:13/03/2025 - 04:48h

The great challenge! Dortmund faces Barça in the Champions quarter-finals

The FC Barcelona now has an opponent in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League 2024/25. After establishing themselves as the first team qualified for the next round of the European competition, the team led by Hansi Flick awaited the match between Lille and Borussia Dortmund this Wednesday, March 12, to find out their opponent in the next stage of the tournament.

Germans and French measured their strengths at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in a completely electrifying clash. Both teams took to the field with an aggregate score of 1-1 after the draw in the first leg held at Signal Iduna Park, and although the locals struck first thanks to a goal from Jonathan David, the Germans showed their hierarchy and quality to turn the tie around.

Emre Can equalized the score again from the penalty spot, this being the goal that would tilt the field in favor of the visitors. Thus, in the 65th minute, Maximilian Beier managed to put his team ahead with a stunning goal, sending the ball into the top corner past Lucas Chevalier, who could do little against the great shot from the German. From that moment on, Niko Kovac's men focused on defending, and after a few final minutes of pure suffering, emerged victorious from the French stronghold.

Borussia Dortmund, an old acquaintance

In this way, Barça prepares to face Dortmund in the quarter-finals of the Champions, a round that will be played between Tuesday, April 8, or Wednesday, April 9 (first leg) and Tuesday, April 15, or Wednesday, April 16 (second leg). The tie will begin at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys and close at Signal Iduna Park, so the Blaugrana must strike first at home to travel to Germany with the peace of mind of knowing they have the advantage on aggregate.

Both clubs have already faced each other in the current edition of the tournament. The first duel between the two teams took place on December 11, 2024, in Westphalia during matchday 6 of the championship, with Hansi Flick's men achieving a crucial victory thanks to a brace from Ferran Torres in the last 15 minutes of the match (2-3).

That match was not for the faint-hearted. Raphinha opened the scoring just a few minutes after the second half began, but Guirassy equalized the score less than 10 minutes later. The 'Shark', who had just entered the field, scored the goal that gave Barça the lead, and although the Guinean forward equalized again, the '7' from Barcelona secured the three points for the Catalans with a goal as the match was coming to an end. With the memory of this thrilling clash, the quarter-final tie promises to be full of emotions.

Barça will not have the home advantage in the quarter-finals

After eliminating Benfica, Barça has reached the top 8 teams in Europe for the second consecutive season. The Catalans will seek to overcome their ghosts in this stage, as last season they were defeated by Paris Saint-Germain after they came back from a 2-3 deficit with a thrashing at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys (1-4), on the fateful night of Ronald Araujo's expulsion.

However, the current landscape is completely opposite to that moment. The team led by Hansi Flick is an unbeatable machine that has not known defeat so far in 2025, accumulating 14 victories and three draws in 17 matches. The sensations on the field are excellent, and they are already strong candidates to lift the 'Orejona' next May 31 in Munich.

Despite this, the Catalans will not have the home advantage in the second leg of the quarter-final tie, as this was defined in the draw on February 21. A significant handicap for the Blaugrana, who have made Montjuïc their 'fortress' in the continental championship, registering four wins and one draw in the five matches they have played at home in the tournament.

The Champions quarter-finals, from April 8 to 15

To play the quarter-final eliminations of the Champions, we will have to wait until the second week of April. Just like the playoff and round of 16 matches, the quarter-final ties will be defined in consecutive weeks, between Tuesday, April 8, and Wednesday, April 15, awaiting the three remaining qualifiers to know how UEFA schedules the matches. The exact dates will be known this Thursday, March 13, in the draw that UEFA will conduct.

For now, what is certain is that PSG, Barça, and Bayern will have to play the second leg as visitors, just like Arsenal. Interestingly, 'gunners' and Catalans are two of the teams that advanced to the round of 16 as part of the TOP-8 that, inexplicably, will lose the home advantage in the next knockout phase. In contrast, teams like Dortmund or Real Madrid will have the opportunity to close their ties at home if they ultimately advance to the quarter-finals.

⚽First leg matches (Tuesday, April 8, and Wednesday, April 9):

Paris Saint-Germain vs Bruges/Aston Villa
Arsenal vs Real Madrid/Atlético
FC Barcelona vs Dortmund
Bayern Munich vs Inter Milan

⚽Second leg matches (Tuesday, April 14, and Wednesday, April 15):

Bruges/Aston Villa vs Paris Saint-Germain
Real Madrid/Atlético vs Arsenal
Dortmund vs FC Barcelona
Inter Milan vs Bayern Munich

The possible matchups for the semifinals of the Champions League 2024/25

In hypothetical semifinals (April 29-30 and May 6-7), Barça would face, also with the second leg away, the winner of the matchup between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich. The Bavarians eliminated Leverkusen with an aggregate score of 5-0, while the Italians knocked out Feyenoord with an aggregate score of 4-1.