Borussia Dortmund vs Barcelona

One of the standout fixtures of UEFA Champions League Matchday 6 pits Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona against each other at Signal Iduna Park.

Borussia Dortmund fortified their pursuit of a coveted top-eight finish in this season’s league phase with a commanding 3-0 win at Dinamo Zagreb in the previous round, making it four victories from five Champions League games under Nuri Sahin (L1). With automatic knockout qualification within striking distance, ‘Die Borussen’ gear up for the sternest test yet amid a four-game unbeaten run in all competitions (W2, D2). However, the German giants have gone winless in all four previous H2Hs against Barcelona (D2, L2). Furthermore, they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last eight Champions League clashes against Spanish opposition. There’s no better place to flip that script than Signal Iduna Park, where they’ve racked up an eye-catching eight wins from nine matches this season (D1). 

Dortmund’s defensive woes must be music to Barcelona’s ears as they travel to Germany desperate to find a way out of an emerging result crisis (W2, D2, L2). Hansi Flick’s charges spurned the lead twice in a 2-2 draw at Real Betis at the weekend, allowing Real Madrid to whittle down the gap at La Liga’s summit to only two points. However, ‘Los Blaugranas’ have been in an unforgiving mood in the Champions League since a 2-1 defeat at Monaco on day one, winning their last four league phase outings via an aggregate score of 17-3. They incredibly scored 3+ goals on each occasion, albeit it’s worth mentioning that three of those four triumphs came at home. Barca tend to win emphatically on the road, though, with their last six away victories coming by a 3+ goal margin.