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Catch the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals, where only eight clubs remain to compete for the prestigious UCL trophy. La Liga’s Barcelona takes on Bundesliga’s Borussia Dortmund, while Ligue 1’s Paris Saint-Germain clashes with Premier League’s Aston Villa.
Both games kick off at 3 PM ET, so review our predictions below and see if our picks match yours!
FC Barcelona is on a hot streak as one of the most dominant teams, not just in the Spanish League but the European league. In the Round of 16, Barcelona easily cruised past Benfica with a 4-1 aggregate scoreline, where they’d head back to La Liga to take on tough opponents Atletico Madrid, whom they’d calmly defeat 4-2. Scoring is Barcelona’s specialty, as their next league game against Osasuna ended in a 3-0 victory before bagging another 4-1 win against Girona.
April 2 saw Barcelona defeat Atletico again in the Copa del Rey Semi-Finals with a 1-0 result to move on to the Finals against Real Madrid. Their only slip-up in recent matches was their last La Liga game against Real Betis, which saw the Catalan squad drop 2 points with a 1-1 draw. Barcelona’s Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski are terrifying spectacles up front, with 11 and 9 goals scored in just the Champions League alone. The Spanish squad’s 17-year-old right winger, Lamine Yamal, also poses an incredible threat with 3 goals scored so far, and we expect him to turn up this game with at least 1+ goals.
Borussia Dortmund haven’t lived up to their expectations in the Bundesliga, sitting at 8th place on the ladder. Although they’ve struggled in their domestic league, they’ve made up for it in the UEFA Champions League.
Dortmund’s performance in the previous UCL Round of 16 was enough to put them past LOSC Lille on a 3-2 aggregate scoreline, although they’d head back to the German League for an immediate 2-0 loss to RB Leipzig. Their next game on March 30 ended in a standard 3-1 victory against Mainz, before netting 4 against SC Freiburg in their most recent 4-1 domestic league victory. Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy is not to be counted out whatsoever, with his 10 goals scored in the competition, followed by Karim Adeyemi and Jamie Gitten with 5 and 4 goals.
Paris Saint-Germain is comparable to FC Barcelona, as the French squad has already wrapped up the Ligue 1 title and poses scary offensive capabilities in the Champions League. In the Round of 16 of the Champions League, the Parisians would topple EPL leaders Liverpool after a 4-1 win on penalty kicks, only to head back to Ligue 1 for a 3-1 victory over Marseille. March 29 saw the team record a crushing 6-1 win over St-Etienne before they headed to the French Cup Semifinal to earn a 4-2 victory over Dunkerque. Their most recent match was close, yet they’d still take the 1-0 victory over Angers before heading into this Champions League matchup. Ousmane Dembele is one of the many wingers to watch out for, with 7 goals in the campaign so far, and we think he’ll net at least 1 more tomorrow evening.
This evening marks Aston Villa’s first-ever Champions League Quarter Finals appearance. After a hard-fought previous season to even qualify (4th place in EPL 2023/24), they currently reside at 7th place in the EPL. Their previous Round of 16 match was a cakewalk, ending 6-1 on aggregate against Club Brugge. The English squad would head right to the FA Cup Quarter Finals to defeat Preston 3-0, only to return to the Premier League for two consecutive victories, with a 3-0 win over Brighton and a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest. The team’s goal-scoring is evenly distributed, although forward Ollie Watkins boasts 4 assists so far in the campaign, backed by Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers with 2 assists a piece.
FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund are tough competitors, but with how Barcelona has performed the entire season, it’s hard to see any result other than a win for the Catalans. The Catalans have incredibly heavy firepower up front, with just two players (Raphinha and Lewandowski) scoring a combined 20 goals. They arguably have the best fullbacks in the world (Kounde and Balde), with one of the best midfielders (Pedri) controlling every game with his tactical genius. Dortmund’s only option is to net 2 goals early to gain a comfortable aggregate lead on Barcelona, which most likely won’t happen, and we think Lamine Yamal will be hungry to end his scoring drought with a goal this evening.
Paris Saint-Germain took out the other top competitors in the UCL (Liverpool), and they continue their undefeated streak as they head into this game. PSG’s Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele combine for 10 goals, and their attacking flanks continue to pose serious threats, with both wingers showcasing incredible pace. Aston Villa are quite new to the UCL experience, and while they head to the Parc des Princes in enemy territory, we think PSG will expose them in the end, with at least 1 goal from Dembele.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.