FC Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund Tickets

In the UEFA Champions League era, it would be fair to say that FC Barcelona have been one of the leading lights, with one glorious period of dominance seeing the Camp Nou side become the greatest side on the planet, chiefly due to the efforts of Lionel Messi.

Prior to Messi’s arrival on the scene, Barcelona’s form in Europe’s elite tournament could best be described as patchy.

Given that their arch enemies Real Madrid record in both the European Cup and its successor, the UEFA Champions League, you could say that, in comparison, Barcelona have underachieved.

As a guide to that uneven footing, it’s worth noting that Los Blancos had won the European Cup six times before Barca managed to do so. That first title for the Catalan side finally came in 1992.

Johan Cruyff’s side were expected to overcome Sampdoria with ease at the 1992 European Cup Final, but in the end, it took an extra time free-kick from Ronald Koeman to complete their maiden success. Two years later, another Serie A side, AC Milan, absolutely battered Barcelona, beating the La Liga side 4-0 in Athens.

In 2005/06, FC Barcelona won their first UEFA Champions League title, beating Arsenal in Paris 2-1, and that aforementioned dominance soon followed.

Under celebrated manager Pep Guardiola, an accomplished former Barcelona player, the team took a step up. 2009 saw them romp to the title, beating Manchester United 2-0 in Rome, and two years later, the same two sides met at Wembley Stadium, Messi once again scoring, this time as part of a 3-1 win.

2015 saw MSN (Messi, Neymar, and Suarez) take the team into attacking overdrive, with Barcelona defeating all before them before dispatching Juventus 3-1 in the final.

Borussia Dortmund, backed by a massive loyal fanbase, have been regulars in the UEFA Champions League for years. Indeed, between 2011/12 and 2023/24, they missed out on qualification for the tournament just once.

They first entered the competition in 1956/57, where they were beaten by Manchester United in the First Round. The following year they were outdone by AC Milan in the Quarter-Finals before suffering a Semi-Final loss to their San Siro sharers, Internazionale, in the Semi-Finals.

The Bundesliga side then failed to get a seat at the top table of European football for over thirty years. This came to an end in 1995-96 when the club’s first appearance of the UEFA Champions League era came to an end in the Quarter-Finals following defeat to Ajax.

The following season they won their first title, having defeated Manchester United in the Semi-Finals en route to facing Juventus in Munich.

Juventus, as reigning champions, were considered the favourites for the clash, but it was Ottmar Hitzfeld’s side that took the lead when Karl-Heinz Riedle scored after 29 minutes, and just five minutes later, he headed in a second to put Dortmund in complete control.

Midway through the second half, Alessandro Del Piero got Juventus back into the game but just six minutes later, substitute Lars Ricken scored with his first touch of the ball to complete a 3-1 win.

In 2013 Dortmund returned to the final but were beaten by German rivals Bayern Munich at Wembley Stadium, with Dutch winger Arjen Robben scoring a late winner, and the club have struggled to hit such heights again.

FC Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund Head-to-Head

Up to 2023, the two sides had met in European action on just one other occasion, that coming in the 2019/20 group stage of the UEFA Champions League.

The first match, in Dortmund, finished goalless, and in the return match at Camp Nou, goals from Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, and Antoine Griezmann put the home side 3-0 up before Jadon Sancho fired home a consolation goal in the 77th minute.

FC Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund Connections

A plethora of talents have represented both Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund over the years, including forward Paco Alcacer, wide-man Ousmane Dembele, defender Marc Bartra, Sergio Gomez, and Mateu Morey.