Match Preview: Borussia Dortmund Host PSG in the Champions League Semi-final

It is time! Tomorrow, Borussia Dortmund will host a Champions League Semi-final for the first time since 2013. The stakes are high as Dortmund’s performance at home will set the tempo for the tie and a good result is needed before traveling to Paris next week. One one hand, Edin Terzic will be feeling a bit of a boost as Sebastian Haller, Donyell Malen, and Marcel Sabitzer all returned to training on Monday. On the other hand, Borussia Dortmund were just smashed 4-1 by RB Leipzig and their defense looked horribly exposed to Leipzig’s counter attacks. They now enter tomorrow's game coming against a PSG side that has scored 17 goals in their last 5 matches with a frontline led by the world's best player, Kylian Mbappe, and Dortmund alumni, Ousmane Dembélé.

PSG enter this match after a great month. Luis Enrique’s side advanced past Barcelona following a 4-1 victory in Barcelona and kept up the pace by putting four goals in back-to-back games against a resurgent Lyon and lackluster FC Lorient side. A 3-3 tie with Le Havre saw PSG rest Mbappe and win their eleventh Ligue 1. Their full focus is on tomorrow’s match and they have the star power to push themselves into the final.

The emphasis of tomorrow’s match will be on PSG’s firepower. The Parisians have scored 19 goals in the Champions League this season (7th most) but 19.9 expected goals, a tally only beaten by a now-eliminated Manchester City. With the second leg in Paris, it feels as if Borussia Dortmund can’t lose this tie in the first leg and must ensure they have a fighting chance next week. If we have learned one thing from this Champions League campaign, however, it is that the unexpected can and will happen.

Player to Watch: Kylian Mbappé

Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images

For some teams, finding a ‘Player to Watch’ is difficult. For PSG, it is the easiest job in the world. The player to watch for this match is Kylian Mbappé who, with the exodus of Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi from European football, is probably the best player on the continent at the moment. The Frenchman leads the UCL with 8 goals, leads Ligue 1 with 26 goals, and leads the Coupe de France with 8 goals. Mbappé is not afraid of scoring goals in big matches; his record for most goals in World Cup Finals is indicative of that, and he is currently on the hunt for his first ever Ballon D’or. So - how do you stop the rise of the World's Best player? The solution is simple (I hope):

Lineup Prediction: 4-3-3

There should be several changes to the lineup compared to the RB Leipzig game with players avoiding suspensions and returning from injuries. In defense, Kobel should start barring any last-second injuries while warming up. Ahead of Kobel should be Dortmund’s usual - Maatsen, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, and Ryerson. Hummels left the pitch injured during the Leipzig game, but reports indicate that he has recovered. In midfield, Emre Can and Marcel Sabitzer should return to the side with the latter being extremely important for Borussia Dortmund in recent weeks. Julian Brandt will look to pull the strings alongside Jadon Sancho and Karim Adeyemi. Despite Sebastian Haller returning to training, I expect him to only participate if Dortmund desperately need goals in the dying minutes.

Prediction: 3-1 Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund have a great home record in this season’s UCL and I’d prefer not to be pessimistic, despite PSG’s overwhelming firepower. 3-1 for the good guys!