Borussia Dortmund made the most of their home advantage in the second leg of their clash with Atletico Madrid. In the semi-final meeting with Paris Saint-Germain, BVB will have to play the first leg at home. That much has already been determined by the draw. The only thing to be decided is whether the match at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK will take place on 30 April or 1 May. 

BVB are in a European semi-final for the ninth time in club history, and this will be the sixth time they play the first leg on Strobelallee. History shows that this isn't necessarily a disadvantage: Borussia have made it to the final in four of the five ties in which the first leg was played in Dortmund. The one blot on this record came back in 1964, when Inter Milan ended BVB's European dream. The UEFA Cup semi-final in 1993 pitted Borussia against Auxerre: a 2-0 win in Dortmund was followed by a 2-0 defeat in France, but the Black & Yellows emerged victorious from the resultant penalty shoot-out. In the 1997 Champions League, BVB beat Manchester United 1-0 in both legs. In 2002, a 4-0 first-leg win over AC Milan was enough to secure a place in the UEFA Cup final, despite a 3-1 loss in the second leg. Likewise in 2013, when BVB's 4-1 win over Real Madrid sent them on the way to Wembley, regardless of a 2-0 defeat in the Spanish capital. 

The reverse constellation is more surprising: the only time BVB have managed to make it through a semi-final with home advantage in the second leg was in 1966, when Wolfgang Paul and co. won both legs against West Ham United (2-1, 3-1). The Black & Yellows didn't have such luck against Real Madrid in 1988, when they lost the first leg 2-0 and drew 0-0 in the second, nor against Juventus in 1995, when they drew 2-2 in Turin but lost 2-1 in Dortmund. 

Now the opponents are Paris Saint-Germain. The overall record against French teams in knock-out ties is positive: BVB have made it through to the next round on four occasions (against Auxerre in 1993 and 1997, Bordeaux in 1964 and Lille in 2002) and failed twice: against Sochaux in 2003 and PSG in 2020, in what is to date the only knock-out stage meeting between the two clubs. BVB won the first leg of the last-16 clash 2-1 in Dortmund, but fell to a 2-0 defeat behind closed doors in Paris. (br)