The Borussia Dortmund U19s are in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Youth League for the first time in the club's history. Coach Mike Tullberg's team will welcome their Atletico Madrid counterparts to SIGNAL IDUNA PARK on Wednesday (16:30 CET); up to 25,000 spectators are permitted to attend, with entry free of charge.

This fantastic season has seen Borussia Dortmund's U19s make one big statement after another. They top the Bundesliga West table by seven points and are well on course to qualify for the Final Round of the German Championship. In the UEFA Youth League, they qualified for the play-offs by finishing the group stages in second place – behind Sporting CP but ahead of Ajax and Besiktas – before eliminating Empoli 5-3 in a high-scoring thriller in the first knockout round.

But the Dortmund youngsters pulled off their biggest coup to date in the round of 16 by beating Manchester United on penalties. They recently followed that up with a 2-0 extra-time victory over SC Freiburg to reach the DFB-Pokal final. Their opponent on 20 May will be VfB Stuttgart, who beat FC Bayern Munich 3-1 AET in the second semi-final. That means that the final, which will be played at the Karl-Liebknecht-Stadion in Potsdam, will see a repeat of the 2019 German Championship final, which BVB won by a 5-3 scoreline.

"Whatever the outcome against Atletico, the team have performed outstandingly and made club history in the UEFA Youth League," praised Mike Tullberg. BVB fielded in the youngest team of all qualified clubs in the last 16 of the elite youth competition and will do so again in the quarter-finals. Tullberg could have strengthened his ranks with first-team youngsters Youssoufa Moukoko and Ansgar Knauff (now at Eintracht Frankfurt) in the group phase, but chose to trust the team that has made headlines in the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal. Tom Rothe, Nnamdi Collins, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Julian Rijkhoff, Vasco Walz, Abdoulaye Kamara, Jonah Husseck, Farouk Cisse, Samuel Bamba and Filippo Mane – they could all be part of the U19 squad for the 2022/23 season too.

Robust, disciplined, quick and strong on the counter

Now they will face an opponent that, in Tullberg's words, plays an "adult football characterised by physicality and team unity". While talented individuals set the tone for Manchester United, Atletico operate as a unit. Defensively, the team is robust and tactically disciplined, while in midfield and attack they impress with their presence, good technique, speed, counter-attacking strength and direct transitional play. This was all on show in their 3-2 victory against their fancied local rivals Real in the round of 16, with midfielder Pablo Barrios, who wears the No. 8 shirt, scoring two spectacular goals. In the group stages, the Rojiblancos finished second behind Liverpool but ahead of FC Porto and AC Milan. They then eliminated Hajduk Split on penalties in the play-offs. 

But there is no need to worry. Tullberg, who has finished his period of quarantine at home and is set for a return to the dugout, does not believe his boys invested too much energy in the cup thriller in Freiburg that went to extra-time: "Their bodies are full of adrenaline ahead of this big experience." The Dane, who accepts the role of underdog, added: "I can't promise we will win, but I can assure all the fans that we will try with heart and passion to get to the semi-finals. In these knockout games in particular, it's not always the favourite and the supposedly stronger team that wins."

PSG or Salzburg await in semi-finals

Atletico, who also top the Spanish "Division de Honor Juvenil" table ahead of cross-city rivals Real Madrid, are in the UEFA Youth League quarter-finals for the fourth time. The Madrilenians have always been eliminated by the eventual champions in this round – by Chelsea in 2014/15, Salzburg in 2016/17 (then under the tutelage of current BVB head coach Marco Rose) and Barcelona in 2017/18. 

Perhaps this statistic could even be a good omen. "It's a very special occasion for our boys to be able to play in front of so many spectators at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK. But they have earned it. There is huge excitement. They need to enjoy this experience," declared Mike Tullberg. The winner of this quarter-final tie will qualify for the Final Four, which will be held in Nyon, Switzerland – where European football's governing body is headquartered – between 22 and 25 April. Their opponents in the semi-finals would be the winner of the tie between PSG and Salzburg.

SIGNAL IDUNA PARK will open its doors at 15:00 CET on Wednesday, with up to 25,000 spectators allowed across all stands. Entry is free of charge, tickets can be obtained from the security personnel upon entry to the stadium. There will therefore be no advance sale. In order to facilitate your journey and the situation at the entry points to the stadium, we recommend you arrive early. Please arrive at the stadium as early as possible.

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Wilfried Wittke