Chelsea’s quest for silverware this season hangs in the balance as they face a crucial do-or-die game against Borussia Dortmund tonight. The Blues are currently trailing 1-0 in their round of 16 Champions League clash heading into the second leg, but they can take encouragement from their 1-0 win over Leeds at the weekend.
The victory over Leeds eased the ever-increasing pressure building on Graham Potter, and he will be hoping his side can put together a run and move into the quarter-finals. However, Chelsea’s chances of winning a trophy this season are slim, as they are currently down in tenth place in the Premier League, 11 points adrift of the top four. Winning this year’s Champions League could represent their best opportunity at still being in UEFA’s premier competition next campaign.
Karim Adeyemi’s goal was enough for Dortmund to seal the win when the two sides met in the first leg, leaving Chelsea with it all to do. BVB arrive in west London on an 11-game winning run, yet Jude Bellingham and co have lost their last five Champions League games away from home against English sides.
The line-up for tonight’s game sees Chelsea fielding Kepa in goal, with Fofana, Kouliably, Cucurella, James, Fernandez, Kovacic, Chilwell, Sterling, Havertz and Felix making up the rest of the starting eleven. The substitutes for Chelsea include Bettinelli, Bergstrom, Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Chalobah, Mudryk, Zakaria, Ziyech, Hall and Chukwuemeka. Meanwhile, Dortmund will be fielding Meyer in goal, with Wolf, Sule, Sclotterbeck, Guerreiro, Can, Ozcan, Bellingham, Reus, Brandt and Haller making up their starting eleven. The substitutes for Dortmund include Kobel, Unbehaun, Reyna, Dahoud, Hummels, Modeste, Malen, Meunier, Passlack, Rothe, Bynoe-Gittens and Coulibaly.
Fans can follow the live commentary of the game on talkSPORT website stream or via the app. The match blog will provide regular updates on the game.
In conclusion, Chelsea faces a daunting task tonight as they take on an in-form Dortmund side. The Blues need to win by at least two goals to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. However, with their recent victory over Leeds and Dortmund’s poor record against English sides away from home in the Champions League, Chelsea fans can still hold onto hope that their team can pull off a memorable comeback and keep their hopes of winning a trophy this season alive.