Champions League semi-finals live updates: Borussia Dortmund vs PSG lineups, highlights, analysis

O other The Champions League semi-final between Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain begins Wednesday with an intriguing first leg at Signal Iduna Park in Germany.

Dortmund, as the home team, playing in front of their famous Yellow Wall, will fight for victory and the advantage that could take them to Paris for next week’s second leg.

But PSG are the favorites – heavily in the overall two-legged clash; and a little on Wednesday, even away from home. He has the best player in the world, Kylian Mbappé, and a golden opportunity to return to the Champions League final just as his era as a megastar comes to an end.

It is clear that Mbappé is leaving at the end of the season to join Real Madrid. An important factor in his imminent departure is PSG’s persistent failure in the Champions League. The Parisians have employed a combination of him, Neymar, Lionel Messi and a host of other stars since the new Qatari owners began spending big in 2011, but have only reached a European final once (in 2020, when they lost to Bayern Munich). .

Entering last winter, they had failed to advance past the round of 16 in five of the last seven seasons. With the departure of Neymar and Messi, and the departure of Mbappé, their project seemed to be failing.

But they faced Real Sociedad in the round of 16. Last month, they came from behind in the first leg to beat Barcelona in the quarter-finals. Mbappé’s two goals in the second half of the second leg sealed their place in the semi-finals.

Now Dortmund waits. The German club is 11 years away from its last trip to the Champions League final. And they are struggling in the Bundesliga, stuck in fifth place – meaning they may have to win this year’s competition to qualify for next year’s.

The winner between PSG and Dortmund will face Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the final. The two drew 2-2 yesterday in the first game.

Wednesday’s first leg starts at 3pm ET (9pm in Germany). US viewers can watch on CBS, Paramount+, Univision or TUDN. And you can follow Yahoo Sports below.