PSG’s Desire Doue celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Champions League: PSG and Barcelona protect leads heading into 2nd legs of quarterfinals

15 Apr 2025 by Staff Reporter · The Zimbabwe Mail

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BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — After shedding its “galácticos,” Paris Saint-Germain looks in better shape than ever to win the Champions League and can reach the semifinals on Tuesday by completing the job against Aston Villa.

PSG takes a 3-1 lead to Villa Park, where Villa hasn’t lost since October and has already beaten Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

An intense atmosphere awaits PSG in the second leg. Then again, the French champions faced a similar situation in the round of 16 — indeed, the task was even worse as they headed to Anfield 1-0 down from the first leg against Liverpool — and came through with flying colors and with many labeling them as one of the competition standouts.

With Neymar, Lionel Messi and most recently Kylian Mbappé leaving the club, PSG coach Luis Enrique has placed his confidence in younger, up-and-coming players and they are delivering. On a run of 17 wins from its last 18 games, PSG has already captured the French league and even had the weekend off — ensuring its players will be fresh for the second leg.

Villa was outplayed in Paris last week but is in good form itself, winning seven straight matches previously and 3-0 at Southampton on Saturday.

Villa, the 1982 European champion, is playing on Europe’s top stage for the first time since 1983. PSG, a beaten finalist in 2020, got to the semifinals last season, losing surprisingly to Borussia Dortmund.

Dortmund up against it

Getting back to the semifinals appears to be a near-impossible task for Dortmund.

Barcelona heads to Germany with a 4-0 lead though needs to be wary of Dortmund, which tends to play its best Champions League games in front of its “Yellow Wall” of vocal fans.

Barcelona’s Hansi Flick is the perfect coach for the job. He’s won all of his seven games against Dortmund — as coach of Barcelona and before that Bayern Munich.

Barcelona had a tough time in Dortmund in the league phase, when an 85th-minute goal from Ferran Torres ensured a 3-2 win. That remains the only time Dortmund has lost a home game in the Champions League since 2021.