Borussia Dortmund will play its first Champions League semi-final in over a decade on Wednesday evening.
Their previous quarter-final appearance was hugely significant when they crushed Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid in 2013, highlighting European football’s shift in power away from Spanish supremacy towards ruthless Germany counterpressing.
Stylistic contrasts are less pronounced 11 years later, although Dortmund are up against a Barcelona graduate who embodies post-Cruyffianism in PSG coach Luis Enrique. However, Edin Terzic is no Jürgen Klopp.
Dortmund have had a subdued domestic season and are unlikely to be able to secure Champions League football for next season based on their performance in the Bundesliga. However, a rousing second-leg triumph against Atletico Madrid means they are deserving semi-finalists and will face a PSG side they lost in the group stage and against whom they were playing for a place at Wembley.
Dortmund could play on home soil for the first leg on Wednesday.
TW: Gregor Kobel – Dortmund’s number one has had another great season and will be a real eye-catcher from Wednesday evening.
RB: Julian Ryerson – As a Duracell bunny on the right, Ryerson could be tasked with slowing down Kylian Mbappe in Dortmund.
CB: Mats Hummels – The experienced defender has played every minute of BVB’s Champions League season so far. He needs to put in a top-notch performance in these two games to improve his team’s chances of promotion.
CB: Nico Schlotterbeck – The experienced Niklas Sule is an option for Terzic, but Schlotterbeck was preferred alongside Hummels and that is unlikely to change on Wednesday.
LB: Ian Maatsen – The Chelsea loanee is suffering from a knock but should be fine for the first leg. Maatsen scored in Dortmund’s 4-2 win over Atletico, helping them reach the quarter-finals.
CM: Emre Can – Terzic’s Swiss Army Knife has established himself in midfield, where he acts as Dortmund’s enforcer. He will have a lot to do against a technically majestic PSG engine room.
CM: Marcel Sabitzer – Without Sabitzer, PSG would probably have prepared for the dark arts of Diego Simeone. The Austrian midfielder inspired Dortmund in the second half of their quarter-final second leg against Atleti, scoring goals and providing assists in a 4-2 win.
RM: Jadon Sancho – Sancho’s stunning start was quickly forgotten over the weekend as RB Leipzig eventually beat BVB 4-1 to boost their chances of qualifying for the Champions League. The Englishman has undoubtedly shown his brilliance since returning to the club on loan in January.
AM: Julian Brandt – The skilful German acts as Dortmund’s most important liaison in the transition. Brandt has a big role to play against a PSG team that aims to dominate possession but squander counterattack opportunities.
LM: Karim Adeyemi – Like Brandt, Adeyemi plays a big role in the counterattack. We were able to witness a lightning-fast duel between the German and PSG’s Achraf Hakimi.
ST: Niclas Fullkrug – With Sebastien Haller out, Fullkrug is at the top by default. The German is far from productive, but he will help Dortmund get up the pitch due to his passing game.