In the “Triplete” (three titles in a single season) in Spain, it’s not just Real Madrid. Hansi Flick’s Barcelona are also in the running for the 3 most important titles of the season: Champions League, Liga and Copa del Rey. With just two months left of the season, the Catalans find themselves in first place in the league (4 points ahead of second-placed Real), in the final of the national cup – where yet another seasonal Clasico with the Blancos will take place – and among the main candidates for the victory of the cup of the big ears, a competition that hasn’t seen Barça as a protagonist for some time. It’s no coincidence that their last triumph dates back 10 years, in 2015, against Juventus in the final.
In addition to dominating the game, scoring goals and winning league points, Barcelona have also enchanted on the continental scene. The 19 points they won in the single-round group stage – only Liverpool won more – are proof of this. But above all, no one scored more goals (28) than Lewandowski and his teammates, who finished the first phase with the best attack in the tournament, led by a fantastic Raphinha (the Brazilian is in fact the top scorer of the tournament with 11 goals). In the round of 16 the trend didn’t change: the insidious Benfica was no match for Flick’s team, who won both the first and second leg (0-1 in Portugal and 3-1 in Montjuic). Furthermore, in the Champions League, Barcelona are unbeaten in 9 games and this season they have never lost at home (4 wins and a draw).
Kovac meets up with his “friend” Flick
However, too many commitments in a short period of time have also caused Barça to lose their brilliance: last Saturday they had a golden opportunity to “kill” La Liga and take advantage of Real Madrid’s resounding home defeat to Valencia, but they were stopped at home by a grim Betis (1-1).
In the Champions League quarter-finals they now face Niko Kovac’s Borussia Dortmund, a coach who knows Flick quite well, having been his assistant at Bayern Munich in the 2018-19 season. Kovac took over from Nuri Sahin last January, following a long series of disappointing results in the Bundesliga: he wasn’t on the Borussia bench in December, when the two teams faced each other in the single round robin. It was a really crackling match at Signal Iduna Park, which ended 3-2 for the blaugrana. To get to the quarter finals the gialloneri had to overcome Sporting and Lille but, more generally, theirs has been a season of two halves: good in the Champions League, bad in the league.
Suffice it to say that Borussia Dortmund are only eighth in the Bundesliga: however, two wins in a row against Mainz and Freiburg have allowed Kovac’s men to close the gap on fourth place, now just 5 points away. In Barcelona, the Gialloneri coach will have to do without the injured Sabitzer, while his counterpart Flick will be without ter Stegen, Christensen, Casadò and Bernal. Dani Olmo is doubtful.
Odds comparison
The “Goal” sign is quoted at 1.60 on Goldbet, Lottomatica and Snai. The “Over 2.5” sign is quoted at 1.40 on Goldbet, Lottomatica and Snai.
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The prediction
In the previous 5, Borussia Dortmund have never beaten Barcelona: a trend that speaks volumes. The progress made under Kovac is there for all to see, but it’s not enough to think of pulling off a win at the home of one of the best teams in this Champions League, as the numbers say. We’re predicting a victory for the Blaugrana in a match that should see at least 3 goals in total, as happened in the group stage.
The probable line-ups for Barcelona-Borussia Dortmund
BARCELONA (4-2-3-1): Szczęsny; Koundé, Cubarsí, Iñigo Martínez, Balde; de Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha; Lewandowski.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Ryerson, Emre Can, Anton, Bensebaini; Nmecha, Chukwuemeka; Adeyemi, Brandt, Beier; Guirassy.
Will there be at least three goals in Barcelona-Borussia Dortmund?