The 2023/24 UEFA Champions League semi-finals are here, and fans are preparing to see another set of amazing performances that will rock the boat and shake many to their core.
The excitement is at its peak because many players have turned up in this season’s competition at various stages.
In the Atlético de Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund game for example, Los Colchoneros only had a standout few while the less experienced BVB side showed grit that will be remembered for years to come.
As BVB prepares for PSG vs Borussia Dortmund, here are our best picks from that game.
Julian Brandt
Borussia Dortmund will face Paris Saint-Germain in the UCL semi-finals on 1 May 2024 and 8 May 2024 respectively. This meeting is thanks to Julian Brandt’s incredible performance in the second leg of BVB’s clash with Atlético de Madrid.
The 27-year-old opened the scoring for his team in the second leg before going on to put in a masterclass performance that earned him the Player of the Match award for that game.
Jan Oblak had to work to prevent him from bagging more than one goal in that game, but his attacking threat was so massive that every foray forward, every pass and every shot or attempt to shoot looked like it would lead to a goal for Dortmund.
His combination of play with teammate Marcel Sabitzer was especially sweet to watch. Fans will hope he can show up against PSG, who they failed to beat in two attempts earlier in the season when both teams met in the group stages.
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Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann has been making it up to Los Colchoneros fans since returning to the club in the 2022/23 season.
The 33-year-old French international has been their major push in all competitions since then. I daresay that without him, Cholo would have faced the sack and the tea would have fallen into major turmoil.
Up until the second leg of their quarter-final tie with Dortmund, Griezmann was their best player in the Champions League. He left the group stages as the top scorer and many expected him to lead the La Liga side to another final.
The only thing stopping him from competing for the Golden Boot and best player awards for this season are Dortmund’s goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and their extra-motivated midfield.
He was the man of the match in the first leg despite not scoring and was also Atléti’s brightest spark in the second leg. Only a generational run from the players left in the competition will prevent him from making the UCL team of the season which will be announced after the final on 1 June, 2024.
Marcel Sabitzer
Die Schwarzgelben fans are blessed to have Austria national team midfielder Marcel Sabitzer in their ranks.
Since breaking into German football from Austria, the 30-year-old midfielder has made many teams suffer, including Borussia Dortmund. The evidence was his being scouted and acquired by Bayern Munich in the 2021/22 season for €16 million from Red Bull Leipzig.
Despite that stint turning out to be a bad fit, Sabitzer showed what he could do with a loan stint at Manchester United, where he played a key role in them winning the 2022/23 EFL (Carabao) Cup, their first trophy since their triumph in the 2016/17 UEFA Europa League.
He went straight into the Dortmund midfield from there as Bayern’s new manager did not see a future for him in his team. He has made them regret his sale in the meetings both clubs have had since then.
Sabitzer assisted two goals in Borussia Dortmund’s 4 – 2 home win before going on to score the winner that saw them snatch the semis ticket from Atléti with a 5 – 4 aggregate scoreline.
Gregor Kobel
Gregor Kobel is one of two goalkeepers who stood out in the quarter-finals of the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League, with the other being Real Madrid’s Andriy Lunin.
The 26-year-old Switzerland goalkeeper is the man who is solely responsible for Dortmund playing in their first semi-final since 2012/13 when BVB brushed then nine-time Champions League winners Real Madrid aside to set up a final with Bayern Munich.
His amazing saves in the first leg at the Civitas Metropolitan were worth seven goals which could have already ended the tie before they travelled to Dortmund for the second leg. He did not do much in front of his fans, but he also came correct when called upon in the game.
Luckily for him, his attackers did not let him down in front of their famed Yellow Wall and the rookie will now have the opportunity of playing in his first Champions League semi-final tie.
Fans will hope that he will be at his best to stop a very motivated PSG side, whose sights are set on their first UCL trophy.
Emre Can
Emre Can put in an assured performance across two legs, going toe-to-toe with the experienced packed into Diego Simeone’s Atléti side.
Despite losing 2-1 in the first leg, he was one of the standout performers for Dortmund that night. In front of his fans at the BVB Stadion Dortmund, Dortmund, he made sure, alongside Sabitzer, to nullify the La Liga side rendering most of their plays ineffective.
He put in a quintessential box-to-box midfield performance, contributing equally in attack and defence with interceptions, tackles, very vital ball recoveries and key passes. The consensus is that the second leg of their clash with Los Colchoneros was his best performance in a Borussia Dortmund jersey in the 2023/24 season.
Die Schwarzgelben fans will hope that when PSG comes around for the second time in the ongoing campaign, the former Liverpool man will be just as effective against Vitinha and co in the Parisiens’ midfield.
Both Dortmund vs PSG tickets for the first leg and PSG tickets for the second leg of their semi-final tie are available on seatsnet.com.
