There have been setbacks and there will probably be more, but no match will determine the success of the opening phase of Graham Potter’s coaching tenure at Chelsea – who knows, it might also mark its end – more than the clash with Dortmund in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 (11.00 PM EAT), probably the most important in his career so far, referring to the names of previous clubs in the resume of the 47-year-old expert. It is imperative for the London club to eliminate Borussia, otherwise they will be able to slowly prepare for the next season.He was eliminated from the League Cup in November, the FA Cup ended for them in January, in the Premier League the are right in the middle of the table. And although there are still 13 games to improve the situation, Chelsea are also 11 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham (with a match in hand), but there are also five obstacles in between (Brentford, Brighton, Fulham, Newcastle, Liverpool) that they must first overcome. So placing in the top four, given how the Blues look right now, seems like an impossible mission. Almost as big as the one in front of the London team tonight.Truth be told, Chelsea suffered a minimal defeat in Westphalia, but the team’s current form makes Dortmund look like Mount Everest, which Potter’s boys will have to overcome if they want to go to the next stage. Again, sometimes despite all the analysis and statistics available, the solution is so obvious. To go through to the quarter-finals, Chelsea will have to score tonight, at least once. Which admittedly has become a hell of a task for the English team lately. Against Leeds at the weekend, they somehow got a victory, but the team once again did not look the way Potter would have liked. And it’s been like that ever since he came to the club.Mozzart Bet offering best odds in the world for two matchesSince defeating Dinamo Zagreb at the beginning of November and going from first place to the knockout phase, Chelsea have scored seven goals in 16 games in all competitions! Since the start of 2023, in 12 matches, only five out of 149 attempts… In the first leg at Westphalia alone, they hit the woodwork eight times, the most in one Champions League game with the net not shaking, which is a fact that further illustrates Chelsea’s problem with inefficiency. Joao Felix missed two excellent chances at Signal Iduna Park, and Kai Havertz fired four more unsuccessful shots, so he is currently 583 minutes without a goal in all competitions…”It’s all frustrating for me and the forwards. We just have to keep working. The goals will come. Sometimes you shoot 10 times and don’t score, then you shoot once and score two,” Potter said recently. Against Leeds, the Blues squeezed in a goal, against Dortmund they will need two if they want to avoid drama and extra time. However, Chelsea last scored two goals in one game on December 27 in a win over Bournemouth…A huge #UCL night at Stamford Bridge!Come on Chelsea! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/pBqpHfWIxj— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 7, 2023 On top of all the pain in the attack – came the recent injury of Thiago Silva, Chelsea’s most reliable player in a nightmare season, without whom they will try to prevent their second elimination in the round of 16 of the Champions League in the last three years (they were ‘kicked out’ by Bayern with a total score of 7-1 in 2020).”We will make a decision about James (Reece) on Tuesday morning. Christian Pulisic is in the team, he trains well and looks good. For N’Golo Kante, the game comes too early… I think he had two full training sessions, so it’s too early, but also he looks good. We’re looking to continue to make progress,” Potter said on yesterday’s conference.Dortmund, on the other hand, over the weekend took another big step in the championship race with Bayern by defeating Leipzig, another contender for the title until four days ago. Borussia are the only team with a 100% performance in 2023 in Europe’s top five leagues, winning all 10 games in all competitions with 27 goals scored and only eight conceded in that run, indicating that they arrive in London with enormous confidence, although they haven’t won the Champions League on English soil since 2013, the year they reached the final.Chelsea have won 7 of the past 9 European home matches. Chelsea have progressed on 11 of the 17 occasions we have lost the first leg of a European tie away from Stamford Bridge— Last time: PSG in 2013/14 Via @ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/DqgNUEvIAJ— CFC News Global (@TheOgidiBrown) March 7, 2023 That they are not the ones we’re used to, Borussia showed the best against Chelsea three weeks ago. The pressure that the London team put them under would probably have broken the Millionaires in previous years, but Terzic’s team demonstrated that they know how to suffer, but also come out alive when they find themselves in such a situation. Against the Londoners, they were able to do so mostly thanks to Gregor Kobel, who kept a minimal advantage with several saves, but the Swiss net keeper is questionable for the rematch due to a muscle problem. And it will be until Terzic has to submit the list of the starting eleven.”Kobel has been receiving treatment for the past two days. Every day he felt better. We will work with him and decide after training on Tuesday if he can play. After this game we want to be among the eight most successful teams in Europe this season,” Terzić sent a clear message before tonight’s duel.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE1/8 finals – 2nd legTuesday23:00: (1.40) Benfica (4.90) Club Brugge (9.00)23:00: (1.90) Chelsea (3.60) Dortmund (4.50)Wednesday23:00: (2.05) Tottenham (3.50) Milan (3.90)23:00: (1.90) Bayern (4.30) PSG (3.75)14.03. Tuesday23:00: (2.80) Porto (3.15) Inter (2.65)23:00: (1.45) Man.City (4.60) RB Leipzig (8.50)15.03. Wednesday23:00: (2.35) Real Madrid (3.50) Liverpool (3.15)23:00: (1.57) Napoli (4.10) Eintr.Frankfurt (6.75)***odds are subject to change***
