Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain meet for the third time in this season's UEFA Champions League with a place in the final the prize for the winners of their semifinal tie. Catch the action live on SuperSport.
The pair were drawn together in Group F in the autumn, Paris winning 2-0 in France on Matchday 1 before the teams met again in Germany on Matchday 6 with Dortmund already through to the round of 16. Paris needed a 1-1 draw at the BVB Stadion Dortmund to join their hosts in the knockout rounds, BVB finishing with 11 points in the section, three above their French visitors, who edged out AC Milan on head-to-head record.
This is Dortmund's fourth Champions League semi-final and a first since reaching the final in 2012/13, when they were beaten by Bayern München in the decider at Wembley.
Paris, meanwhile, are in the last four for the third time in five seasons and the fourth overall – but have won only one of their previous contests at this stage, and none over two legs.
The winners of this tie will play Bayern München or Real Madrid in the final at Wembley on 1 June.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
1 Dortmund win
2 PSG wins
3 Draws
4 Dortmund goals
7 PSG goals
Paris were victorious at the Parc des Princes on 19 September thanks to goals early in the second half from Kylian Mbappé (49pen) and former Dortmund full-back Achraf Hakimi (58).
The French side needed a 56th-minute equaliser from Warren Zaïre-Emery to rescue that crucial 1-1 draw in Dortmund on 13 December, Karim Adeyemi having put the home side in front five minutes earlier.
The teams crossed paths in the 2019/20 Champions League round of 16, Paris overturning a first-leg defeat to win 3-2 on aggregate on their way to the final, which they would lose to Bayern.
BVB were 2-1 winners in the opening game in Germany, Erling Haaland (69, 77) scoring twice on his first European appearance for the club either side of Neymar's 75th-minute leveller.
The Brazilian struck again at the Parc des Princes to level the tie, Neymar scoring in the 28th minute before Juan Bernat got what proved to be the decisive goal of the contest a minute into first-half added time.
The teams' only other fixtures came in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League group stage, when both games ended all square. An 87th-minute goal from Paris substitute Clément Chantôme cancelled out Nuri Şahin's penalty opener for Dortmund five minutes into the second half on Matchday 3. The game at the Parc des Princes two weeks later finished goalless.
Paris finished top of the section on 12 points, with Dortmund eliminated after finishing third on nine. The French club went on to reach the round of 16, losing to Benfica.
FORM GUIDE
Dortmund
Record vs French clubs: W9 D6 L9 F30 A32
Home record vs French clubs: W6 D4 L2
That 2020 tie against Paris was Dortmund's last contest against a French club before Matchday 1.
Dortmund were unbeaten in their first six home games against French clubs (W3 D3) but have lost two of the subsequent six matches, winning three.
Defeat in Paris four seasons ago ended Dortmund's three-game winning run against French opponents. They have now lost two of the last three, drawing the other.
BVB's record in two-legged ties against French clubs is W3 L3; they have lost their last three ties, that 2020 defeat by Paris following eliminations at the hands of Sochaux in the 2003/04 UEFA Cup second round (2-2 h, 0-4 a) and Monaco in the 2016/17 Champions League quarter-finals (2-3 h, 1-3 a).
Dortmund's record in European Cup semi-finals is W2 L2:
1963/64 Inter Milan L 2-4 (2-2 h, 0-2 a)
1996/97 Manchester United W 2-0 (1-0 h, 1-0 a)
1997/98 Real Madrid L 0-2 (0-2 a, 0-0 h)
2012/13 Real Madrid W 4-3 (4-1 h, 0-2 a)
The German club's last semi-final appearance featured a memorable performance from Robert Lewandowski, who scored all four goals in the 4-1 home first-leg win against Real Madrid in 2013 – Jürgen Klopp's side progressing despite a subsequent 2-0 loss in Spain.
BVB are unbeaten in home European Cup semi-finals (W2 D2); indeed, in European competition overall, their home semi-final record is W5 D2 L1, the sole defeat a 2-1 second-leg loss to Juventus in the 1994/95 UEFA Cup that completed a 4-3 aggregate reverse.
Dortmund also reached the semi-finals of the 1965/66 European Cup Winners' Cup and three UEFA Cups with the record W2 L2, the most recent tie a 5-3 aggregate success against AC Milan in 2001/02. Their 2013 success against Real Madrid made it three aggregate successes in their last four European semi-finals.
Last season's Bundesliga runners-up are in the Champions League for the 18th time overall and the eighth successive season. All but two of their last 11 campaigns have now extended into the knockout rounds.
In 2022/23, Edin Terzić's team were second in Group G behind eventual champions Manchester City before being knocked out by Chelsea in the round of 16 (1-0 h, 0-2 a).
That was the third time BVB had been eliminated in the last 16 in their last five Champions League campaigns.
This season Dortmund began with that 2-0 loss in Paris before being held 0-0 at home by Milan but breathed life into their Group F campaign by beating Newcastle away (1-0) and at home (2-0) and sealed progress with a 3-1 win at San Siro on Matchday 5, concluding the group stage with the 1-1 draw at home to Paris.
Dortmund drew 1-1 at PSV Eindhoven in the round of 16 first leg, progressing thanks to a 2-0 home win, and then overcame a 2-1 loss at Atlético de Madrid in the first leg of their quarter-final to go through thanks to a 4-2 home success.
The second-leg win against Atleti ended Dortmund's run of five successive defeats in quarter-final matches.
That victory also made it seven wins in Dortmund's last 16 home European games (D6 L3).
BVB have six wins in their last 12 home Champions League knockout matches (D1 L5).
European champions in 1997 and runners-up to Bayern in the 2013 final at Wembley, Dortmund missed the chance to deny Bayern an 11th successive Bundesliga title in 2022/23, drawing 2-2 at home to Mainz on the final day to allow the Munich club to overtake them at the top of the table.
PARIS
Record vs German clubs: W15 D4 L10 F44 A33
Away record vs German clubs: W4 D3 L7
Matchday 1 was Paris's third successive European game against German opponents, having lost home (0-1) and away (0-2) against Bayern in last season's round of 16.
A 3-2 first-leg win at Bayern in the quarter-finals three seasons ago is Paris's only victory in their last seven games in Germany (D2 L4).
A 3-1 defeat at Bayern on Matchday 6 of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League ended Paris's seven-match unbeaten run against German clubs, home and away (W5 D2). Their overall record since then is W6 D2 L6.
Paris have won five of their seven knockout ties against German clubs, both defeats coming against Bayern – in the 2020 Champions League final and last season's round of 16. They had beaten Dortmund (1-2 a, 2-0 h) and Leipzig (3-0 n) in the 2019/20 round of 16 and semi-final respectively having defeated Wolfsburg in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup round of 32 (2-0 h, 3-1 a) and, in the Champions League, Bayer Leverkusen in the 2013/14 round of 16 (4-0 a, 2-1 h) and Bayern in the 2020/21 quarter-finals (3-2 a, 0-1 h).
This is Paris's fourth European Cup semi-final (W1 L2):
1994/95 AC Milan L 0-3 (0-1 h, 0-2 a)
2019/20 Leipzig W 3-0 (n)
2020/21 Manchester City L 1-4 (1-2 h, 0-2 a)
Paris have lost four of their five semi-final matches, the sole success a 3-0 defeat of Leipzig in a one-off tie in Lisbon in August 2020 in which Marquinhos scored their opening goal.
The 25-year gap between the 1995 and 2020 semi-final appearances is a Champions League record – beating Ajax's 22-year absence between 1997 and 2019.
In 2019/20 Paris became the fifth French team to reach the European Cup final, after Reims (1956, 1959), St-Étienne (1976), Marseille (1991, 1993) and Monaco (2004). Of those, only Marseille, in the inaugural Champions League final in 1993, lifted the trophy.
The Parisians would therefore become the third Ligue 1 club to reach multiple finals if they overcome Dortmund.
Paris also reached the semi-finals of three UEFA Cup Winners' Cups and one UEFA Cup. Their record in those ties – which all took place between 1993 and 1997 – was W2 L2 with victories in the last two, against Deportivo La Coruña in 1995/96 and Liverpool in 1996/97, meaning the 2020 defeat of Leipzig made it three successive victories in European semi-finals before their defeat against Manchester City the following season.
This is Paris's 16th Champions League campaign, level with Lyon's French record. They have featured every season since 2012/13, reaching the knockout stages in the last 12 campaigns.
Runners-up to Bayern in the 2020 final, Les Parisiens were again beaten by the German club in last season's round of 16 (0-1 h, 0-2 a). They had finished second in Group H behind Benfica, picking up 14 points.
Paris began this season with the 2-0 home win against Dortmund but lost 4-1 at Newcastle United in their next fixture. They then swapped home wins with AC Milan (3-0 h, 1-2 a) before coming from behind to earn 1-1 draws at home to Newcastle and in Dortmund that allowed them to squeeze into the last 16 as Group F runners-up, three points behind the German club.
The French side have faced Spanish sides in both subsequent knockout ties, beating Real Sociedad 2-0 at home and 2-1 away in the round of 16 – Mbappé scoring three of their four goals – and then overturning a home first-leg defeat for the first time in European competition to progress at the expense of Barcelona in the last eight. Luis Enrique's side recovered from losing 2-3 at the Parc des Princes and trailing 1-0 in Spain to win the second leg 4-1 and progress 6-4 on aggregate.
The Parisians have won 14 of their last 31 European matches (D7 L10).
Paris have been victorious in 14 of their last 31 away Champions League fixtures (D6 L11), although they had managed only two wins in 12 (D4 L6) before winning at Real Sociedad and Barcelona this season.
Paris claimed their 11th French title, and ninth in the last 11 seasons, in 2022/23, finishing one point ahead of Lens at the top of the Ligue 1 table.
The French club replaced coach Christophe Galtier with Enrique in the summer.