Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund now ready to draw first blood when they meet for the first leg of the knockout stage in the Champions League. These two teams are aiming to get a win in the first leg for better chances in advancing to the quarterfinals. Chelsea advanced to the knockout stage after securing the top spot of Group E. They go past AC Milan, Red Bull Salzburg, and Dinamo Zagreb, so their path to this round is not easy. As for Dortmund, they progressed in this round after finishing second in the Group G behind Manchester City. This meeting will be on February 16, 2023, at 4:00 AM (GMT+8), with Dortmund as hosts.
This meeting will be the first time ever these two teams will meet in an official game across all competitions. The hosts however are winless in their last 10 matches against other English opponents. In eight of those 10 matches, they suffered defeat, and draw two matches. Luckily, this squad is doing well at home, losing only four of their 21 home games in the Champions League. As for the visitors, they are not doing well in their away games, winning only three of their 11 matches against German opponents. As they meet an opponent from the same region, they hope to finally turn the table around, and go home with a win.
Chelsea
This team is currently at the 10th of the Premier League, which is not surprising as they are struggling this season. On their last match, they had a 1-1 draw against West Ham, and are now in need to take a notch in this match. Luckily, they were able to top their group in the Champions League. Their impressive run during the group stage of the Champions League Despite their struggles, they have showed a huge improvement recently. As this match is a crucial match for them, they need to be at their best coming into this game. Going past the football giants AC Milan means Chelsea is a team capable of surprising everyone. This squad is hoping that they will not bring their misfortunes in this crucial match.
The problem with this squad is that they have remarkable absentees for this game, especially their key players. Kante, Pulsic, Broja, and Mendy are all out for this game, as they continue to nurse their injuries. On the other hand, Fofana, Kovacic, Zakaria, and Sterling are a doubt in this game, following their injuries. Meanwhile, Kalidou Koulibaly is also a doubt in this game, after suffering from an illness.
Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund is currently at the third place of the Bundesliga league table, which is no wonder since they have been impressive this season. During their last domestic league game, this squad had a comfortable 2-0 win against Werder Bremen. As they come into this game, they are hoping to achieve the same result in this important game. This squad did not start their campaign in a fortunate manner, as they started slowly. However, they were able to turn their campaign around, and are lucky to finally pick up themselves. Due to this, they were able to catch up this season, and are now in good form. This team is looking to show dominance when they go against another dominant team.
Youssoufa Moukoko is expected to be out in this game, after an ankle ligament damage he sustained during their previous match. He will join Wolf, Kamara, and Morey, who will be out in this match as well, due to their injuries. Fortunately, Thomas Meunier already recovered, and could possibly take part in this game.
Prediction:
Draw
Odds: 0.92
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