Chelsea’s January Transfer Frenzy
Chelsea bolster squad with 7 new signings in January 2023 transfer window. £288 million invested to revitalise the team under Graham Potter’s guidance.
Borussia Dortmund vs Chelsea: Line-ups
Borussia Dortmund
Chelsea
Dortmund Have the Advantage
#1
Dortmund have struggled against English teams over the years, failing to win any of their last 10 such games in European competition including eight defeats. Their last victory against an English side dates back to March 2016 when current Chelsea forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a brace in a 2-1 win away at Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League.
#2
Despite winning only two of their six matches in the Champions League group stage earlier this season, Dortmund managed to finish above both Sevilla and Copenhagen to advance to the last 16, and they will now endeavour to beat an out-of-sorts Chelsea side over two legs as they bid to reach the quarter-finals for just the third time in the last nine seasons.
#3
Chelsea’s hopes of finishing in the top four continue to fade as they currently sit ninth in the Premier League table and 10 points behind fourth-placed Newcastle United. The West Londoners may be required to go all the way in the Champions League if they wish to compete in Europe’s elite club competition again next season.
#4
The 2011-12 and 2020-21 champions endured a rocky start to their group-stage campaign earlier this season, with a shock 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb bringing an end to Thomas Tuchel’s reign in charge. However, the Blues bounced back under the tutelage of Potter and won their remaining four games to top Group E ahead of second-placed AC Milan.
#5
Since a 2-1 away win against Red Bull Salzburg on October 25, Chelsea have failed to win any of their last nine matches on the road across all competitions, and securing a positive result against Dortmund on Wednesday could prove challenging as they have won only three of their last 11 away meetings with German opposition.
DPP Verdict
Chelsea have been far from their best for some time now and Potter will need his players to finally click if they are to come away from Germany with a positive result against a high-flying Dortmund outfit. BVB may be without the services of Moukoko, but they still have enough quality in the final third to cause Chelsea problems and we are predicting the hosts to prevail in the first leg by the odd goal in three.
