Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund go head-to-head in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash on Wednesday, 9th April, at 8pm (UK time). We’ve asked our man Anthony Eadson to preview the action and provide us with best bets.
Lamine Yamal Over 3.5 Shots (23/20 with Unibet)
Barcelona sit four points clear and are yet to taste defeat in any competition in 2025. The Catalans can wrap this tie up in the first leg and Lamine Yamal can rack up the shots and land our main bet of the evening.
The Euro 2024 winner averages 3.6 shots per game in both La Liga and the Champions League this season. This bet has landed in seven of his last eight shot totals that read: 4,7,4,4,5,3,3, and 4. Some bookmakers have him priced at just 8/13 to record Over 3.5 shots on Wednesday, so take advantage of the odds against offering of 23/20 with Unibet.
Raphinha to Score from outside the box (8/1 with Sky Bet)
Raphinha has been one of the best players to watch in the Champions League this season. The Brazilian is the top scorer in the competition with 11 and has five assists. A player who likes to have a crack from distance, three of his last six goals for Barcelona have arrived from outside the box. Bet365 go just 9/2 that he scores from outside the area against Dortmund, and I think the 8/1 boosted price with Sky, looks worthy of a few quid.
How both teams go into Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund
Only Liverpool (21) accrued more points than Barcelona (19) during the league phase, and the Blaugrana have continued their excellent form into the knockouts, sending Benfica packing 4-1 on aggregate to reach this stage. This match is just another step on what could turn out to be an unexpectedly glorious season for Barca, who have a Copa del Rey semi-final second-leg against Atletico Madrid to come — level at 4-4 after the first leg — and sit top of La Liga, three and seven points clear of Real Madrid and Altletico, respectively.
Barca will be heavy favourites against a Dortmund side that finished 10th in the league phase, although they have already managed to beat Sporting CP and Lille in the knockout rounds, while their run to last season’s final proved they have the quality to spring a surprise. Nevertheless, die Schwarzgelben are 11th in the Bundesliga and, at the time of writing, are enduring a run of just one win in their lat four matches across all competitions.
Barcelona team news
This match is likely to come too early for Dani Olmo, while Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Marc Bernal are out for the season and Marc Casado is sidelined until mid-May. However, Barceloan could welcome Frenkie de Jong and Andreas Christensen back into the fold.
Borussia Dortmund team news
Marcel Sabitzer is out until mid-May with a ligament injury. However, Dortmund’s only other injury concerns are Felix Nmecha and American youngster Cole Campbell, both of whom should be available for this match.
Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund head-to-head
Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund have faced off just three times in competitive football. Dortmund have never beaten Barca, who won 3-2 at Signal Iduna Park during this season’s league phase. The Blaugrana also beat BVB 3-1 at home in the 2019/20 group stage following a 0-0 draw in Dortmund.