DECRYPTION – Everything you need to know before the C1 semi-final first leg between Borussia Dortmund and Paris-SG, this Wednesday (9 p.m.), at Signal Iduna Park.
Back in the last four of C1 for the first time since 2021, Paris Saint-Germain challenges Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park this Wednesday (9 p.m.), in the first leg. A match broadcast by Canal+ et RMC Sport 1, and which will obviously be followed live with commentary on our site. The return match will take place next Tuesday (9 p.m.), at the Parc des Princes.
What happened during the group matches?
The two teams have faced each other six times, always in the Champions League, including twice in 2010 (1-1, 0-0), in the group stage, and more recently in the round of 16, in 2020. The men of Thomas Tuchel won 2-0 at the Parc des Princes – in front of empty stands due to Covid – after losing in front of the Yellow Wall in the first leg (2-1). A recent memory, but not as much as that of the two matches at the start of the season. Dominant but not effective during the opening 45 minutes, the Parisians waited until the second half to make the difference (2-0) at the Parc, on the first day, with a penalty from Kylian Mbappé and a gem from Achraf Hakimi. The latter was also very lively against his former club, like Vitinha. Gigio Donnarumma? Almost nothing to do.
Read also PSG notes against Dortmund: decisive Mbappé, delicious Hakimi, ghostly Kolo Muani
BVB was already qualified before the second round, on the sixth day. Not PSG, who left Signal Iduna Park with a point which was enough for their happiness (1-1). The draw also suited both teams: first place for the Germans, a place in the 8th for the French. Nobody wanted to take any risks in the final minutes, which irritated Mbappé, who was also deprived of the winning goal by a miraculous save from Niklas Süle. Highly visible during the group stage, Warren Zaire-Emery responded to Karim Adeyemi’s opener in an open match that could have gone either way. “Sometimes it’s like that, it doesn’t want to fit“, railed “WZE”. Inefficiency, the great Parisian evil in this group… Paris has not won a group match away from home but remains on two successes away from the Park in “Champions”.
Read also PSG notes in Dortmund: Zaire-Emery like a great, clumsy Kolo Muani, frustrated Mbappé
Which players are under threat of suspension?
None. And for good reason, UEFA resets the counters to zero before the last four. Ousmane Dembélé, Vitinha, Manuel Ugarte, Lucas Hernandez and Milan Skriniar were under threat before the quarter return to Barcelona (1-4), they are no longer. There are no players suspended, neither on the PSG side nor on the Dortmund side. Note that the Parisian infirmary is empty, with the exception of Presnel Kimpembe, out for more than a year, and the miraculous Sergio Rico. Former L1 players, Ramy Bensebaini and Sébastien Haller will be missing from the German ranks, while Donyell Malen is not sure he will be able to hold his place. Absent from the starting 11 during the debacle at Leipzig (4-1) on Saturday, in the Bundesliga, Emre Can, Ian Maatsen and Marcel Sabitzer will be fit. Out against the RB of Xavi Simons, the captain of the defense, Mats Hummels, too.
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Since when did Paris and Dortmund not play in the C1 final?
For PSG, it hasn’t been that long: under Tuchel, the Parisians played in the C1 final in 2020, during the Final 8 in Lisbon. Final lost against Bayern (0-1). This is a point in common with Borussia, also beaten by Bayern in their last final (1-2), in 2013, at… Wembley. The more supersticious will note that this could once again be the poster for the 2024 final. The fact remains that Dortmund had previously lifted the Big Ears Cup, in 1997, during its first final. 3-1 victory against Zinedine Zidane’s Juventus, with a double from Karl-Heinz Riedle and a goal from Lars Ricken. Beaten twice in the UEFA Cup final (1993, 2002), the Ruhr club won the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1966. The C2, a real specialty for PSG in the 90s, with a half (1994 ), a lost final (1997) and of course the victory against Rapid Vienna in 1996.
Who is favorite?
PSG. However, this does not mean that it will be a cakewalk… Before spinning in Leipzig, Dortmund was in rather good shape, notably with a success against Bayern (0-2) in the championship and of course the qualification in C1 against at Atlético Madrid, after a completely crazy return match (4-2), in the quarters. Remember that BVB finished first in a group made up of… Paris, but also Milan and Newcastle, before taking out PSV in the 8th. “The difference between us and PSG is that Paris was already thinking about the final at the start of the competition, they have wanted to win it for many years. But we earned our place and we will be ready», Warns Edin Terzic, coach of Borussia, fifth in the Bundesliga standings. Fallers of Real Sociedad and Barça in the previous rounds, the Parisians are gaining strength. Their individualities are, on paper, superior to those of Dortmund, whose heaviness of the central hinge could represent a real boon for the French champions. A favorite status that will need to be confirmed on the ground. The Germans were not expected at this level, but they are still hungry.
Read alsoLigue 1: Mbappé, Dembélé, Hakimi… The strong men of PSG’s coronation
Which players have worn the jersey for both teams?
There are really only five in this case, including two currently under the orders of Luis Enrique, Ousmane Dembélé (2016-17) and Achraf Hakimi (2018-20), and none in the ranks of Dortmund. Unlike these two, Christian Wörns, Abdou Diallo and Thomas Meunier went directly from one club to another. Always in search of young talents, the BVB also came directly to the Parisian training center (Dan-Axel Zagadou, Soumaïla Coulibaly, Abdoulaye Kamara), titis who had not, however, worn the tunic of the PSG flag team before heading into the Ruhr. Note that the German players who have worn Parisian colors can be counted on the fingers of one hand: Christian Wörns in the 90s, Kevin Trapp, Julian Draxler, Thilo Kehrer and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.
