Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund are off for an exciting clash, as they meet for their semi-finals series in the Champions League. This is the first leg for the powerhouse squads, who are both dominant during their quarterfinals campaign. PSG are heading to the semi-finals, following their 6-4 win on aggregate against Barcelona. In fact, PSG are fortunate to dominate the second leg of their campaign, as it gives them the ticket to the semis. Meanwhile, for Borussia, they are from a 5-4 win on aggregate against Atletico. Despite losing in their first leg, Borussia managed to win their second leg confidently, making them qualify here. The meeting between these two teams is on May 2, 2024, at 3:00 AM (GMT+8).
Paris Saint-Germain
PSG have secured their first Champions League trophy after defeating Barcelona 6-4 on aggregate in a quarter-final tie, advancing to their third semi-final in five seasons. The French giants lost 3-2 in the first leg and were trailing 1-0 in the reverse fixture in Spain. However, the dismissal of Ronald Araujo by Barca’s Ronald Araujo turned the tide in PSG’s favor, with Kylian Mbappe, Vitinha, and Ousmane Dembele scoring to secure a 4-1 victory. PSG has since won two more 4-1 victories in Ligue 1 over Lyon and Lorient. They were crowned champions for the 12th time on Sunday after second-placed Monaco lost at Lyon. PSG is confident of success in the first leg of their Champions League tie, as they have unbeaten in their last 15 away games in all competitions since losing 2-1 at AC Milan in the group stage almost six months ago.
PSG faces injury absences from Presnel Kimpembe, Layvin Kurzawa, and Sergio Rico. Resting Gianluigi Donnarumma, Nuno Mendes, Lucas Hernandez, and Fabian Ruiz, Mbappe is expected to start between sticks. Dembele and Bradley Barcola could join in attack.
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund have reached their first Champions League semi-final since 2012-13, after beating Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals. However, preparations for their last-four match with PSG have not gone as planned, as they have failed to win their last two Bundesliga matches. Dortmund’s hopes of securing a top-four finish have been significantly dented by a convincing victory for Leipzig. With only three games remaining, Dortmund sit fifth in the table and five points behind Leipzig in fourth. However, fifth spot could be enough to secure a place in next season’s newly-expanded Champions League. Dortmund can automatically qualify for the 2024-25 Champions League if they go all the way in this season’s competition, replicating the 1996-97 squad’s heroics. They have not lost any of their last 10 Champions League matches at Westfalenstadion, winning six of them and scoring 19 goals.
Borussia Dortmund will be without injured players Ramy Bensebaini and Julien Duranville. However, Mats Hummels, Donyell Malen, Sebastien Haller, and Marcel Sabitzer have trained and could feature. Emre Can and Ian Maatsen are available for selection against PSG, with Niclas Fullkrug leading the line and Sancho and Karim Adeyemi providing support.
Prediction:
Paris Saint-Germain (1.5)
Odds: -0.86
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