Chelsea face Borussia Dortmund within the final 16 of the Champions League this night in leg one.
It presents Chelsea with a slightly pressure-free likelihood in case you like, to place in a very good efficiency and hopefully come away with a very good outcome to deliver again to Stamford Bridge. I say pressure-free, however with our social media fanbase you may by no means be totally pressure-free at Chelsea. However in a way that no person is anticipating us to win the UCL this season, and I’m certain not many are even anticipating us to get previous Dortmund, so the expectations are low off the again of our poor type and outcomes.
Whether or not that makes any odds in any respect stays to be recognized, however I is likely to be within the minority once more in considering we are able to knock Dortmund out right here.
Dortmund got here second of their UCL group, solely profitable two video games, drawing three, and shedding one.
Within the Bundesliga although, they’re in third place simply three factors off prime spot after profitable each one among their final 5 matches. They rating a number of targets, however in addition they concede pretty freely.
Clearly we all know their dangermen, with Jude Bellingham being one among them. Though, it was reported yesterday that Youssoufa Moukoko is prone to be out for each legs after struggling an damage. That’s nice information for us.
They’ve a strong workforce although with good expertise and high quality. They line up with a again 4, with Emre Can holding in entrance.
It is going to be attention-grabbing to see how they method this recreation, with Dortmund additionally being a workforce that prefer to have the lions share of possession, as do Chelsea. I can’t see them altering their ethos and which may really go well with Chelsea.
We’ve got struggled taking part in in opposition to these low block groups who sit off and allow us to management, we wrestle to interrupt them down and discover possibilities. And with the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Joao Felix, and Enzo Fernandez, we may actually thrive with more room opening up in assault and taking part in extra on the counter in case you like. We’ve got some immense tempo and imaginative and prescient now, we are able to actually use that in such a recreation.
It is going to be an attention-grabbing match up for certain, and it’s a tough one to name. But when Chelsea can go there and get a outcome, no less than a draw, then we’ve a extremely good likelihood to knock them out.
You’d assume that each Denis Zakaria and Mateo Kovacic can be in line for the squad, and Kovacic might be barely forward when it comes to a beginning place.
So with that in thoughts, right here is my predicted Potter beginning Xl:
Clearly there’s a query of fatigue for a few of the gamers akin to Thiago Silva and even Reece James. However I additionally suppose Potter can be very eager on placing on a very good efficiency in entrance of the world, that he wont have a lot freedom to relaxation gamers. He wants all his key gamers.
I’m hoping that Ben Chilwell is lastly prepared for a begin too, as a result of Marc Cucurella must be taken out of the limelight.
The midfield considerations me with a scarcity of defensive stability, however there actually aren’t many different choices nonetheless.
I believe we draw the primary leg and win the second again at Stamford Bridge! Let’s go Chelsea!
