Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund [4-0] – Champions League Quarter-Final First Leg 2024/2025 – Tactical Analysis

The moment that FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund were destined to meet in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, it was clear that two different worlds were going to meet up twice in April.

Barcelona, on the other hand, has worked through its winter slump and is in stellar form coming into the matchup.

They are leading La Liga, qualifying for the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid, and cruising into the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Borussia Dortmund, on the other hand, have had huge troubles this season.

After losing in the Champions League final last season, manager Edin Terzić decided to step down, and assistant manager and club legend Nuri Şahin took over the team.

After a disastrous start to their league campaign, the club decided to move on from the young coach after not even a year and signed Niko Kovač as a replacement.

The situation in the league remains dire for the black-and-yellows, and they are desperate to find some form in the competition they have played way better in over the last two years, the Champions League.

In this tactical analysis and post-match analysis, we will examine the tactics that the two coaches used in this game, how the game shaped up, and why it ended the way it did.

Barcelona Vs Dortmund: Players & Formations Used

Hansi Flick once again trusted in his 4-2-3-1 formation that hes used throughout his entire career.

Wojciech Szczęsny started in goal, hoping to keep his unbeaten streak running with Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez playing as the two centre-backs, with Alejandro Balde on the left defensive side and Jules Koundé as the right-back.

Frenkie de Jong played the more defensive part of the double pivot next to Pedri, and Fermin López played the attacking midfielder for the Blaugrana against Borussia Dortmund.

The attack consisted of wunderkind Lamine Yamal on the right, Raphinha on the left, and superstar striker Robert Lewandowski as the German managers lone striker.

Borussia Dortmund had to suffer through losing their best centre-back, Nico Schlotterbeck, for the rest of the season with a torn meniscus and had to compensate.

Gregor Kobel started in goal, with Emre Can filling in at centre-back, who partnered with Waldemar Anton in the middle of the backline.

The two full-backs selected were Ramy Bensebaini and Julian Ryerson.

Julian Brandt, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Felix Nmecha formed the three-man midfield, with speedsters Jamie Gittens and Karim Adeyemi playing on the wings.

Serhou Guirassy played as the striker for Niko Kovač in a 4-5-1 formation with a very free-roaming midfield.

Barca’s Pressing Masterclass

The game started out, and Hansi Flick tactics had his men do what they do best: Press the opponent deep in their half.

Flick knew that Dortmund’s backline had suffered a huge loss to their build-up with the loss of Schlotterbeck.

Now lacking class in passing and a left-footed centre-back, Flick had his players account for that.

Dortmund tried to build up, with their backline dropping deep, all four defenders staying back, and two midfielders dropping back as well, with the rest of the team pushing up the field.

Barcelona had a very interesting solution to that.

They obviously can’t commit six players forward here to match the numbers and leave their defenders in 1v1 duels against the pacey Dortmund wingers, so they had to find a workaround in their press.

They did so with a zonal approach in the first phase against the ball.

As seen