With FC Barcelona opening the Champions League Round of 16 tonight against Benfica, let´s take a look at who they may face next after Borussia Dortmund and Lille tied their 1st leg 1-1 last night.
While Barca fans may think Lille would be the preferred opponent, after looking closer they may change their minds. Sure Dortmund is the more famous team and has historically been strong in the Champions League, but Lille has come from having to play extra qualifying matches just to get in the competition, to a home win away from making the quarterfinals.
They disposed of Fenerbahce and Slavia Prague in the August qualification round before beating the likes of Real Madrid (1-0), Atletico Madrid (3-1), Bologna (2-1), and Feyenoord (6-1). Add a 1-1 draw with Juventus and they found themselves in 7th place after the first round, with a bye into the Round of 16.
Dortmund posted big wins against Club Brugge (3-0) and Celtic (7-1) early in the competition, but later fell to both Real Madrid (2-5) and FC Barcelona (2-3), leaving them 10th after the first round with a 2nd round matchup against Sporting CP Portugal, which they won 3-0 over 2 legs.
Dortmund has struggled in 2025, winning just 5 of 14 games, and currently sit 10th in the Bundesliga table, while Lille have lost just 4 matches in 2025 (2 to Liverpool and PSG), and sit 5th in the Ligue 1 table.
Canadian Jonathan David, who seems sure to leave for a big club in the summer, is leading Lille with 13 goals, while Hakon Arnar Haraldsson has played very well, scoring the 68th minute equalizer against Dortmund last night and was named man of the match.
Dortmund is led by the 14 goals of Serhou Guirassy and also boast a midfield with the likes of Marcel Sabitzer (Manchester United), Emre Can (Liverpool), and Julian Brandt. Add seasoned centerback Niklas Sule, and Dortmund has the players to advance to face FC Barcelona.
Don´t forget the two Americans on Dortmund´s roster Giovanni Renya and Cole Campbell. Unfortunately it looks like coach Niko Kovac has forgotten them......Renya has started just twice all season while Campbell has logged just 76 minutes and has spent most of his time with the reserve team.
There´s no question FC Barcelona have a lot of work to do with Benfica, and it all starts tonight in Lisbon, where they pulled off a 5-4 miracle earlier in the competition. Benfica is out for revenge and while we have the luxury of looking ahead to their next , FC Barcelona doesn´t.