Paris Saint-Germain are aiming to reach their first Champions League final since their 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in 2020.
Standing in PSG’s way are Bayern’s Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund, who overcame a first-leg deficit against Atletico Madrid to progress to the semi-finals.
After ending Diego Simeone’s hunt for a first UCL medal, the German club are now faced with stopping Kylian Mbappe’s search for the trophy he craves most in his career.
Luis Enrique’s side reached the last four with a 6-4 aggregate win over Barcelona and, after wrapping up the Ligue 1 title this weekend, they will be hoping to pick up a statement victory in Germany tonight.
Follow live updates from the Champions League semi-final first leg, below, and get the latest Borussia Dortmund vs PSG predictions and odds here.
Dortmund’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl, speaking to TNT Sports:
“Everyone is looking forward [to the game]. It’s a great stadium with a great atmosphere. To be in the last four teams is a big achievement, we want to use these two matches to get to Wembley.
“The team is full of energy and I am pretty optimistic.”
Mike Jones1 May 2024 19:53
Borussia Dortmund vs PSG
Matchday 1 was Paris’s third successive European game against German opponents, having lost home and away against Bayern in last season’s round of 16.
A 3-2 first-leg win at Bayern in the quarter-finals three seasons ago is Paris’s only victory in their last seven games in Germany (D2 L4).
A 3-1 defeat at Bayern on Matchday 6 of the 2017/18 Champions League ended Paris’s seven-match unbeaten run against German clubs, home and away (W5 D2). Their overall record since then is W6 D2 L6.
Mike Jones1 May 2024 19:50
Borussia Dortmund vs PSG
That 2020 tie against PSG was Dortmund’s last contest against a French club before Matchday 1 this year.
Dortmund were unbeaten in their first six home games against French clubs (W3 D3) but have lost two of the subsequent six matches, winning three.
Defeat in Paris four seasons ago ended Dortmund’s three-game winning run against French opponents. They have now lost two of the last three, drawing the other.
Mike Jones1 May 2024 19:45
Borussia Dortmund are the anti-establishment – can they be saviours of the Champions League?
For some at Dortmund, this is the inevitable end point of a long period harking back to the 2010-13 glory era, with the club constantly rehiring familiar figures. This isn’t necessarily seen as a good thing, either. There is a strong argument it has prevented the club from progressing. They don’t even have a truly great young talent they can sell on right now, a policy that has sustained the club in past seasons.
Mike Jones1 May 2024 19:40
Borussia Dortmund vs PSG
The teams’ only other meetings came in the 2010/11 Europa League group stage, when both games ended all square.
An 87th-minute goal from Paris substitute Clément Chantôme cancelled out Nuri Şahin’s penalty opener for Dortmund five minutes into the second half on Matchday 3.
The game at the Parc des Princes two weeks later finished goalless.
Mike Jones1 May 2024 19:35
Borussia Dortmund vs PSG
The teams crossed paths in the 2019/20 Champions League round of 16, Paris overturning a first-leg defeat to win 3-2 on aggregate on their way to the final, which they would lose to Bayern.
Dortmund were 2-1 winners in the opening game in Germany, Erling Haaland scoring twice on his first European appearance for the club either side of Neymar’s 75th-minute leveller.
The Brazilian struck again at the Parc des Princes to level the tie, Neymar scoring in the 28th minute before Juan Bernat got what proved to be the decisive goal of the contest a minute into first-half added time.
Mike Jones1 May 2024 19:30
Borussia Dortmund vs PSG
Paris were victorious at the Parc des Princes on 19 September thanks to goals early in the second half from Kylian Mbappé and former Dortmund full-back Achraf Hakimi.
The French side needed a 56th-minute equaliser from Warren Zaïre-Emery to rescue that crucial 1-1 draw in Dortmund on 13 December, Karim Adeyemi having put the home side in front five minutes earlier.
Mike Jones1 May 2024 19:25
Borussia Dortmund vs PSG
PSG, meanwhile, are in the last four for the third time in five seasons and the fourth overall – but have won only one of their previous contests at this stage, and none over two legs.
The winners of this tie will play Bayern or Real Madrid in the final at Wembley on 1 June.
Mike Jones1 May 2024 19:20
Borussia Dortmund vs PSG
This is Borussia Dortmund’s fourth Champions League semi-final and a first since reaching the final in 2012/13, when they were beaten by Bayern Munich in the decider at Wembley.
With this season’s final also being played in London could we see a repeat of that showpiece match with both German clubs getting there?
Mike Jones1 May 2024 19:15
Borussia Dortmund vs PSG
Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain meet for the third time in this season’s Champions League with a place in the final the prize for the winners of their semi-final tie.
The pair were drawn together in Group F with Paris winning 2-0 in France on Matchday 1 before the teams met again in Germany on Matchday 6.
With Dortmund already through to the round of 16, Paris needed a 1-1 draw to join their hosts in the knockout rounds, BVB finishing with 11 points in the section, three above their French visitors, who edged out AC Milan on head-to-head record.
Mike Jones1 May 2024 19:10
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