(Football news) After winning 2-1 at Wanda Metropolitano in the first leg, Atletico has a slim lead to defend, but it is in a precarious position ahead of what should be an exciting match at Signal Iduna Park.
In the first half of their quarterfinal matchup with Atletico, Dortmund was easily second best; nevertheless, goals from Rodrigo De Paul and Samuel Lino put the Spanish team ahead by two goals. It was tough to envision a way back at the half, but in the second half, BVB significantly improved.
In the 81st minute of the match at Wanda Metropolitano, Sebastien Haller scored the goal for the away team. The match is now evenly balanced, with Dortmund behind in the series but now possessing home advantage.
Edin Terzic’s side will enter the match off the back of a 2-1 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga, with the result leaving them fifth in the table, level on points with fourth-placed RB Leipzig.
Dortmund navigated their way past PSV Eindhoven in the last-16 stage of this season’s competition, recording a 3-1 aggregate success, and they also impressed in the group stage, finishing ahead of Paris Saint-Germain to top Group F, with AC Milan dropping into the Europa League.
Borussia Dortmund have not progressed past the quarter-finals of the Champions League since famously reaching the final in 2012-13, ultimately losing 2-1 to Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich, and they were knocked out of last season’s tournament in the round of 16 by Chelsea.
Atletico will feel that they should have been out of sight in the first leg considering their dominance in the opening 45 minutes, and it remains to be seen whether they will be made to pay in the second leg.
Diego Simeone’s side have responded impressively to their 3-0 defeat to Barcelona before the international break, winning their last two in the league against Villarreal and Girona either side of the success over Dortmund.
The Red and Whites beat Girona 3-1 in La Liga on Saturday, and they are fourth in the table, five points ahead of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao, with the team in charge of their own destiny when it comes to the top four.
In the competition’s round of 16, Atletico Madrid defeated Inter Milan with remarkable style, prevailing in a penalty shootout after the two clubs’ second leg draw of 2-2.
The capital giants, on the other hand, went undefeated in the group stage, winning 14 points from their six games to lead a group that included Celtic, Lazio, and Feyenoord.
In the previous season, Atletico did not go past the group stage of the Champions League, and they have not advanced past the final eight since their appearance in the semi-finals of the 2016–17 campaign against Real Madrid.
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