Dortmund coach wants to defeat Barcelona

Niko Kovac is confident of getting a good result in the second leg against Barcelona - Photo: REUTERS

After a heavy 0-4 defeat to Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Dortmund were in a corner. In the second leg, they had no choice but to go all out in attack, showing their never-give-up spirit with 90 minutes left at Signal Iduna Park in the early morning of April 16 (2am Vietnam time).

Dortmund continue to face the problem of force when facing Barcelona again. Similar to the first leg, the Ruhr team will not have the service of Austrian midfielder Marcel Sabitzer and defender Nico Schlotterbeck as both have not recovered from knee injuries.

Although Waldemar Anton and Maximilian Beier scored in the emotional 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena last weekend, Beier is likely to start from the bench in the return to Barcelona.

With the mindset of "an optimist but a realist", coach Kovac affirmed that his team is determined to save face in the second leg against Barcelona.

"Defeat always hurts, especially heavy losses. But I have seen the positives and now it is time to convey that to my players. Dortmund's ambition is to win. Whether it is 1-0 or 2-1, we are playing at home and want to give a meaningful gift to all the fans," said the Dortmund coach.

Barcelona is in "destructive" form - Photo: REUTERS

On the other side of the front line, Barcelona are expected to field a largely unchanged lineup compared to last week's clash with Dortmund, with the familiar midfield trio of Frenkie de Jong, Pedri and Fermin Lopez. Supporting right behind number 9 Robert Lewandowski will be wingers Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.

However, the Blaugrana will be without first-choice left-back Alejandro Balde, who is sidelined after picking up an injury in Sunday's game against Leganes.

On the other hand, good news for Catalan fans is the return of Spanish international Dani Olmo. Although he has been given the green light by the medical team and is included in the squad for the trip to Germany, the possibility of this attacking midfielder starting the field is still uncertain.

In addition, centre-back Pau Cubarsi has returned to the team after a one-match suspension and is likely to start at Signal Iduna Park.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hlv-dortmund-muon-quat-nga-barcelona-20250415133323824.htm