As the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals kick off, football fans are in for a treat with two exciting matchups on Wednesday, April 9th. Paris Saint-Germain will face off against Barcelona, while Atletico Madrid will host the German side Borussia Dortmund.
In what promises to be a thrilling encounter, our predictions lean towards Paris Saint-Germain showcasing their attacking prowess against Barcelona’s defence. Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid’s tactical strength may give them an edge over Borussia Dortmund in a closely contested match.
Stay tuned as these European giants battle it out on the field for a chance to advance to the next stage of the competition.
Paris Saint Germain vs Barcelona
As Paris Saint-Germain welcomes Barcelona to their Parc des Princes headquarters on Wednesday, the two champions from France and Spain will compete to secure a first-leg lead in their Champions League quarterfinal.
In the last 16, Luis Enrique oversaw a 4-1 aggregate victory against Real Sociedad, and La Blaugrana defeated Italian champions Napoli 4-2. Now, he has returned to his previous employers.
Paris Saint-Germain’s possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Zaire-Emery, Marquinhos, Skriniar, Mendes; Lee, Ugarte, Vitinha; Dembele, Ramos, Mbappe
Barcelona’s possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Cubarsi, Araujo, Cancelo; De Jong, Gundogan, Lopez; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha
Our Predictions
Full time draw
No doubt who will have the freshest legs at the Parc des Princes after their exhausting matches against PSG in the Coupe de France and Ligue 1 since Barcelona’s last outing at the tail end of March.
We expect Wednesday’s tight brawl to end all square ahead of a compelling second leg in Catalonia. Still, Parisiens boss Enrique rested several key players for the clash with Clermont with Wednesday’s reunion in mind. Barcelona has recently shown a preference for dogged defensive displays.
Atletico Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund
Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, two underdogs vying for the Champions League title, will meet in a quarterfinal match on Wednesday at the Wanda Metropolitano. The winner of the first leg will advance to the second leg.
The team managed by Diego Simeone narrowly defeated Inter Milan, who finished second in the league last year, in a thrilling penalty shootout in the round of 16. Meanwhile, their Bundesliga rivals defeated PSV Eindhoven by a score of 3-1.
Atletico Madrid’s possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Witsel, Gimenez, Reinildo; Molina, Llorente, Koke, De Paul, Lino; Griezmann, Morata
Borussia Dortmund’s possible starting lineup:
Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Sabitzer, Can, Brandt; Sancho, Fullkrug, Adeyemi
Our Predictions
Atletico Madrid to win
Atletico have had a lengthy recovery time leading up to Wednesday’s first leg, which is a welcome relief given their domestic volatility. They are always a formidable defensive force in Champions League knockout matches played on their home field.
Even if Dortmund’s record seems better on paper, Terzic’s squad was toothless in their loss to fellow European contenders Stuttgart, and another tight setback might be in store for the Bundesliga giants when they go to Signal Iduna Park, trailing Atletico Madrid by only one goal.