Barcelona travel to Signal Iduna Park to face off vs. Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.
Barcelona dismantled Borussia Dortmund 4–0 in the first leg a week ago, all-but securing their spot in the semifinals. As lopsided as the tie might appear, Barcelona's recent Champions League knockout stage history is marked by wasting big first leg advantages twice in the past decade. Hansi Flick will be keen on making sure no such thing happens in his first season in charge.
For Niko Kovač's Borussia Dortmund, there's nothing to lose going into the second leg. Devoid of pressure, Dortmund will look to strike early to test Barça's resolve. However, it's clear that Dortmund's comeback seems unlikely, as only equaling the largest comeback in Champions League knockout stage history will suffice for the Germans to advance to the semifinals.
Borussia Dortmund will be without the injured midfield duo of Nico Schlotterbeck and Marcel Sabitzer, while Barcelona lost Alejandro Balde to injury over the weekend and he'll join fellow La Masia graduate Marc Casadó as Flick's major unavailable pieces. No player is suspended for the match for either team.
Here's how Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona could lineup in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.
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Borussia Dortmund Predicted Lineup vs. Barcelona (4-2-3-1)
GK: Gregor Kobel—Kobel has four clean sheets in the Champions League this season.
RB: Julian Ryerson—Containing Raphinha will be Ryerson's first priority, but he'll also have to help Dortmund in attack.
CB: Emre Can—If Can is fit to play then he'll wear the captain's armband and lead Dortmund's defense.
CB: Waldemar Anton— Anton will partner Can in the heart of defense.
LB: Ramy Bensebaini—The Algeria international will hope to limit Lamine Yamal's playmaking ability.
CM: Felix Nmecha—The Manchester City academy product will anchor Dortmund's midfield.
CM: Pascal Groß—Dortmund will be boosted by the return of the former Brighton midfielder.
RW: Karim Adeyemi—Adeyemi will start from the right looking to exploit Balde's absence in Barcelona's defense.
AM: Julian Brandt—Dortmund will rely on Brandt's passing ability to create chances as he looks to add to his four assists in Europe this season.
LW: Jamie Gittens—Gittens hasn't scored in his last eight Champions League appearances and he'll be hungry to end that drought.
ST: Serhou Guirassy—Guirassy's 10 Champions League goals this season has him two behind Raphinha in the golden boot race.
Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1)
GK: Wojciech Szczęsny—The Polish goalkeeper is Barcelona's good luck charm since they've yet to lose with him between the sticks.
RB: Jules Koundé—The Frenchman leads all Barça players in minutes played this season.
CB: Pau Cubarsí—The 18-year-old center back has beaten captain Ronald Araújo for the starting job in the climax of the season.
CB: Iñigo Martínez—No player has understood Flick's defensive system better than Martínez, who's the leader of the high-defensive line.
LB: Gerard Martín—Martín will replace Balde in the lineup in what will be his third career Champions League start.
CM: Frenkie de Jong—One of the biggest positives of Barcelona's second half of the season is the Dutchman's return to form.
CM: Pedri—Barcelona's dream season so far wouldn't be possible without Pedri re-establishing himself amongst the top midfielders in the world.
RW: Lamine Yamal—Yamal is fresh-off making Champions League history with his goal in the first leg vs. Dortmund.
AM: Fermín López—Dani Olmo's absence in recent games hasn't been felt since López is playing at a top level when Barcelona need him most.
LW: Raphinha—The Brazilian leads the competition in both goals and assists and is having one of the greatest individual Champions League seasons ever.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Borussia Dortmund vs. Barcelona Predicted Lineups: Champions League Quarterfinals Second Leg.
