Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund will clash on Wednesday, with both teams aware that the game is their best chance of reaching the Champions League semi-finals in years. These two teams are the underdogs in this season’s quarter-finals, with the other six teams either being elite teams that spend as much money as they do or boasting trophy-filled European histories. Atletico Madrid, which was eliminated in the group stage last season, is desperately fighting for the top four in La Liga under the pressure of Athletic Bilbao competing for Champions League qualification.

Dortmund sit fifth in the Bundesliga, although they did manage to escape a tricky group of Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle United.

Champions of Spain in 2014 and 2021, Atletico will consider themselves the stronger of the two teams, although Diego Simeone’s side usually prefer to be the unwelcome outsiders.

“We have drawn a very difficult opponent, Germany is always strong and the atmosphere in the second leg will be good, so we need a good first leg,” Simeone said in March.

“We find a team that struggled to win the league last year and is going through a similar season to us this year – it’s going to be tough.”

The 53-year-old is one win shy of his 50th win in the Champions League, a tally that only eight managers have reached before.

Simeone led Atletico to the semi-finals in 2017 and suffered heavy final defeats to arch-rivals Real Madrid in 2014 and 2016.

Simeone has won almost every possible trophy with Rojiblancos, but Champions League failure remains a thorn in their side.

Atletico Madrid showed they are capable of going all the way by beating last season’s runners-up Inter Milan on penalties in the round of 16.

Defender Axel Witsel, who spent four years at Dortmund before joining Atletico in 2022, has been one of the team’s most consistent performers this season.

Unlike Atletico, Dortmund won the Champions League, albeit beating Juventus in the final back in 1997.

They were defeated by bitter rivals Bayern Munich in the 2013 Wembley final, which was the last time they reached the semi-finals.

“Show this face again”

While Dortmund’s domestic performances leave a lot to be desired, they did beat Bayern in March and are also doing well in Europe, something head coach Edin Terzic believes is A reason for hope.

“When you look at our performance against Bayern and in the Champions League, we were a bit frustrated and I wonder what would happen if we showed this face more often,” he said.

“Now we have a few more opportunities to show that face again.”

Dortmund have suffered just two defeats in all competitions in 2024, although the second came against Stuttgart on Saturday, and are the only German side to win at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

The bottom half includes the current defending champion Manchester City, the record 14-time champion Real Madrid, the German giants Bayern Munich and the strongest Arsenal in many years. Atletico Madrid or Dortmund may even go one step further.

The winner will face either Barcelona or PSG in the semi-finals, with both teams far from their best and having weaknesses to exploit.

For two men hoping to break through Europe’s glass ceiling in the 21st century, there’s more reason to believe.

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