BORUSSIA DORTMUND host Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of a mammoth Champions League semi-final clash TONIGHT!
Luis Enrique hopes PSG take a big step closer to completing an unprecedented quadruple in his first season in charge of Les Parisiens.
The French giants won Ligue 1 at the weekend after Gonçalo Ramos came off the bench and equalized in the 95th minute for PSG to rescue a point against Le Havre.
Top scorer Kylian Mbappe was not a starter in the draw and, with Monaco’s defeat to Lyon, secured their 12th title.
PSG won the French Super Cup in January and secured a place in the Coup de France final – they will be looking to move one step closer to winning the quadruple against Dourtmund.
Meanwhile, Dortmund come into the game after being defeated 4-1 by RB Leipzig, despite Jadon Sancho putting the visiting team ahead.
4
Things went from bad to worse for Dortmund as Mats Hummels was sent off five minutes into the second half due to injury.
Winning the Champions League could be Dortmund’s only way of qualifying for the competition next season, as RB Leipzig’s victory moved them five points clear of their top four rivals.
When is Borussia Dortmund vs Paris Saint-Germain?
- The Champions League semi-final between Borussia Dortmund and PSG will take place on TONIGHT – Wednesday, May 1st.
- Kick-off is scheduled for 8pm BST.
- Signal Iduna Park – also known as Westfalenstadion – will host the game with a capacity of 81,365.
- The two teams were in the same group stage this season, with PSG winning 2-0 at home and the two teams drawing 1-1 in Germany.
What TV channel is it on and can it be streamed live?
- Borussia Dortmund x PSG will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 in the United Kingdom.
- Pre-game coverage is expected to begin from 7pm BST – 60 minutes before the start of the game.
- Fans can also stream the game online via TNT Sports Ultimate.
- Alternatively, SunSport will have minute-by-minute coverage of the entire match.
What is their shape like?
Borussia Dortmund have failed to win a league game since April 13 after dropping points against German champions Bayer Leverkusen and top-four rivals RB Leipzig.
Coach Edin Terzic is feeling the pressure as his team falls further and further away from the Champions League places and could miss out on the competition for the first time since 2015-16.
PSG have lost just one game – the quarter-final first leg against Barcelona – in 32 games since the start of November to secure the Ligue 1 title and their place in the French Cup final.
What’s new with the team?
Mats Hummels (twins) was sent off early in the second half against RB Leipzig, but is expected to be fit for the first leg.
Ian Maatsen is expected to return after suffering a hip injury against Bayer Leverkusen and was not in the squad at the weekend.
It is very unlikely that Sebastien Haller (ankle) and Ramy Bensabaini (knee) will play, with both having long-term injuries.
4
PSG managed to rest star Kylian Mbappe, who has played just 90 games since the last round of the Champions League.
The only serious injury problem is Layvin Kurzawa (back), who has not played for the team since August.
Who Will they be the stars?
Julian Brandt is Dortmund’s main threat, with 22 goals in 41 games across all club competitions.
His combination with German striker Niclas Fullkrug, who has contributed 25 goals this season, will certainly test PSG’s defense.
Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe has already beaten last season’s numbers, with 43 goals and 10 assists in 44 games.
Although he only made a five-minute cameo over the two legs against Barcelona, Dortmund must also be wary of Gonçalo Ramos.
On loan from Benfica, the 22-year-old forward contributed to 15 goals this season, four of which came in as many games.
If PSG are looking for a goal, he could be a surprising option off the bench against leg fatigue.
What was said?
Luis Enrique spoke about the possibility of his team making history and winning the quadruple.
He said: “We have eight games, hopefully nine, and we will put the same effort into all of them.”
4
Edin Terzic, at Saturday’s press conference, said that Mats Hummels “should be fine to play on Wednesday”.
Speaking to Sport1, the Dortmund coach also shared what he thinks about Jadon Sancho since returning to the club on loan, following a disagreement with Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag.
He said: “We see Jadon perform an action in every training session that shows his extraordinary talent.
“We see how diligent he is at tasks and how hard he works at them.”
We’ll hear more from both coaches after the pre-game press conferences in Tuesday, April 30.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
