Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund Preview – Prediction, how to watch & potential line-ups | OneFootball

Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund will renew hostilities at Stamford Bridge in the decider of their Champions League round of 16 clash on Tuesday night.

The Blues will get their chance to rectify a torrid display in Germany that saw them suffer a 1-0 defeat to the Bundesliga giants thanks to a Karim Adeyemi goal.

Chelsea stalled their seemingly unending run of poor results in a slender 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Leeds United, thanks to a second-half header from Wesley Fofana.

It was an underwhelming performance by their standards, but under-fire manager Graham Potter will be keen for his side to build on the success nonetheless.

Chelsea’s chances of making it into the Premier League top four at this stage of the season are nonexistent – so is winning the Champions League.

However, there have been calls for Potter’s sacking in recent months after posting just three wins in 17 games, and making it past Dortmund could show the fans why the club’s owners retain faith in the manager.

Dortmund will carry a slender lead to west London, but they will at least have something to protect, with just a second Champions League quarter-final berth since the 2016/17 season firmly within their grasp.

The Bundesliga giants will be without Adeyemi, whose sensational solo goal earned them a hard-fought win at Signal Iduna Park three weeks ago.

Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who was instrumental in his side’s clean sheet in Germany, is also a doubt for the game.

Chelsea had eight shots on target in the reverse fixture, their highest tally in the competition without scoring since 2003/04.

However, while both players are set to miss the crunch game, Der BVB will head to the Bridge brimming with confidence, especially on the back of an impressive ten-match winning streak.

Match Preview

Chelsea

There were reasons for Potter to leave Germany with cautious optimism following his side’s display. But subsequent defeats to Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur only led to the sacking calls to grow louder.

Fofana’s header against Leeds at the weekend ended a six-game winless run for the Blues, but that did little to appease the aggrieved Chelsea faithful.

It remains to be seen if another defeat to Dortmund could signal the end of the Potter regime, but the Englishman will be desperate for his side to emerge victorious regardless.

Chelsea suffered four successive Champions League last-16 exits between 2014/15 and 2019/20 before going all the way in the 2020/21 campaign.

However, from their last seven Champions League knockout ties in which they have lost the first leg away from home, they have advanced from four of them.

Fofana’s goal also ended Chelsea’s three-game goal drought. They can also boast four clean sheets from their last six contests on home turf.

However, their paltry goal tally of just four strikes from their last ten games leaves little to be desired in their quest for a quarter-final berth.

Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund are currently locked in a battle to end Bayern Munich’s reign of terror in the Bundesliga.

Only goal difference separates them from the reigning champions, and a first league title since 2012 is well within their reach thanks to their remarkable run of form since the turn of the new year.

However, with one foot in the quarter-finals, Der BVB CEO has warned his side not to underestimate the struggling Blues as they look to finish the job.

Edin Terzic’s side have won five consecutive away games in the league, conceding just two goals while scoring nine – but they have not managed a Champions League clean sheet on the road since November 2020.

The English capital has not been a happy hunting ground for Dortmund either. They have lost their last five European games in London since beating Arsenal 2-1 in 2013.

However, completing a double over Chelsea on Tuesday night will be the first time they won both legs of a Champions League knockout tie since 1996/97 – they ended up lifting the trophy that year.

Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund Potential Line-ups

Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Kepa Arrizabalaga; Trevoh Chalobah, Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana; Reece James, Mateo Kovacic, Enzo Fernandez, Ben Chilwell; Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz, Joao Felix.

Borussia Dortmund (4-3-3): Alexander Meyer; Marius Wolf, Niklas Sule, Nico Schlotterbeck, Raphael Guerreiro; Salih Ozcan, Emre Can, Jude Bellingham; Julian Brandt, Sebastien Haller, Marco Reus.

How to Watch?

Chelsea vs Dortmund, alongside all other matches in Europe’s most prestigious club competition this season, is available to watch online via Champions League live streams.

And if you are interested in attending a future UCL game, see our Champions League tickets page for more information.

Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund Prediction

Chelsea’s dreadful form gives Dortmund a perfect platform to correct their unwanted record against English sides, but despite their struggles, the Blues will prove difficult to swat aside.

However, eight shots on goal without rippling the net in the reverse fixture and scoring just once since then does little to suggest Potter’s side have what it takes to turn the tie on its head.

Although it should prove an end-to-end encounter, Dortmund could edge this one by the odd goal.

Chelsea 0-1 Borussia Dortmund