LAST HOPE FOR A FOOTBALL MIRACLE: DORTMUND NEEDS THE IMPOSSIBLE AGAINST BARCELONA

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Borussia Dortmund v Barcelona (aggregate score: 0-4) April 15, 2025

History could be written tonight under the floodlights of the legendary Signal Iduna Park. The Yellow and Black wall of Borussia Dortmund fans will witness an attempt at something that has succeeded only once in 160 previous cases - overturning a four-goal deficit from the first leg. Paradoxically, tonight's opponent, Barcelona, is the only team that has achieved such a comeback - in 2017 against PSG, winning 6-1 after losing 0-4. Can Dortmund return the favor to the Catalans?

The numbers don't bode well for Borussia. They have historically never managed to defeat Barcelona in European competitions. In six mutual matches, they have only two draws and four losses. If they don't win today, they will equal their longest winless streak against a single opponent in Europe - seven matches against Scottish Rangers between 1966 and 1999.

"We believe in the impossible," Borussia captain Marco Reus rallied at the pre-match press conference. "Our stadium can create miracles. We need an early goal, and then anything can happen."

The Catalans, under the guidance of German strategist Hansi Flick, have found the recipe for Bundesliga teams in this Champions League season. After triumphing over Bayern Munich 4-1, they also defeated Dortmund twice - 3-2 in the group stage and a crushing 4-0 in the first quarter-final match. Before this season, Barcelona had lost five consecutive matches against German opponents with a frightening score of 2:19!

Barcelona's offensive power is staggering in this year's most prestigious club competition. With an average of 3.3 goals per game, they rank second in the historical tables. Only Bayern Munich in the 2019-20 season (3.9) performed better, then led by Barcelona's current helmsman Hansi Flick.

The individual statistics of the Catalan stars are equally impressive. Robert Lewandowski, Borussia's former marksman, has scored 60 goals in 59 Champions League matches since turning thirty. Only the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more goals in this age category (68 goals in 74 matches).

Brazilian winger Raphinha, with 19 goal involvements (12 goals, 7 assists), could become only the third player in history to reach the mark of 20 direct participations in goals in a single Champions League season. This milestone has only been achieved by Cristiano Ronaldo (21 in the 2013-14 season, 20 in the 2015-16 season) and Robert Lewandowski (20 in the 2019-20 season).

Dortmund's hopes are primarily pinned on Guinean striker Serhou Guirassy, who has already scored 10 goals this Champions League season. However, he has been silent in the last four matches, and none of his last 10 shots has ended up in the net.

A significant loss for the home team is the absence of injured center-back Nico Schlotterbeck, who is the absolute top among central defenders this Champions League season with 16.8 line-breaking passes per 90 minutes. Barcelona also has quality in this respect - their defenders Iñigo Martínez (14.8) and the just 17-year-old talent Pau Cubarsí (14.6) rank in the top five players in this position.

"Never say never," says Dortmund's management. "Football has written many incredible stories. Why couldn't ours begin tonight?"

We thank OPTA for providing the statistical data.Photo: source XYZ


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