Chelsea are back in the Champions League when they take on Borussia Dortmund in the Round of 16 but truth be told, this is not the time when Graham Potter would have wanted to get back into Europe.
Chelsea are all over the place right now and despite signing so many new players in January, the Premier League side are just not able to pick up wins. They have dropped points in four out of their previous five games, three of which have been draws.
It’s very difficult to predict how the Blues will perform on a given day because on paper they have the talent to blow any team away but Graham Potter is yet to make them play as one cohesive unit.
To make matters worse, they will take on a BVB side who are bouncing with confidence as they have won each of their last five appearances, scoring 13 goals and conceding just three. After the draw vs West Ham United, the pressure is very much on Potter and if Chelsea cannot win against the Germans then there’s every chance Todd Boehly is going to start hunting for a new manager.
Chelsea’s injuries and team news:
There’s still a long list of injury absentees for the London side with key players like N’Golo Kante, Pulisic and Raheem Sterling all out injured.
We doubt if there will be any major changes from the West Ham United game and due to injuries to players like Fofana and Edouard Mendy, the goalkeeper and the back line is going to remain unchanged.
Mateo Kovacic has returned to first-team training but he’s still some time away from being fully match-fit. At best, he could start on the bench.
January signing Enzo Fernandes and Ruben Loftus-Cheek will most likely pair up in central midfield with Gallagher being an option off the bench.
Joao Felix did a wonderful job as the No 10 in the West Ham game and the manager is surely going to keep him in that role in midweek as well.
As far as the right wing is concerned, Madueke is going to be rested which means Mason Mount or Hakim Ziyech will come into the starting XI. Based on recent performances, Mount should be the one who gets the nod.
Chelsea predicted line up vs Borussia Dortmund:
Predicted Starting Line up(4-2-3-1): Kepa; James, Thiago Silva, Badiashile, Chilwell/Cucurella; Loftus-Cheek, Enzo Fernandez; Mount, Joao Felix, Mudryk; Kai Havertz.
