In desperate need of a signature result, Chelsea travel to Germany to take on high-flying Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday as Champions League action finally returns this week.
The first leg of their Round of 16 tie will be critical, as the Blues are sputtering in Premier League play and require some kind of spark to turn their season around. A European scalp against a soaring German side on the road would do the trick, and could kick-start a push in continental action which fans could latch on to.
The challenge is great, as Dortmund have won all seven matches since returning from the World Cup break. The streak has them sitting third in the Bundesliga table, just three points back of leaders Bayern Munich.
England international teammates Reece James and Jude Bellingham will meet in a rare European tie. There is also a peripheral storyline to this match, as the opposing head coaches Graham Potter and Edin Terzic are close, having studied their coaching badges together and fostering a friendship.
MORE: Champions League Round of 16 predictions for PSG, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and more in 2023 UEFA tournament
How to watch Borussia Dortmund vs. Chelsea
Here’s where to watch the Round of 16 first leg in select regions around the world:
Date | Time | TV channel | Streaming | |
USA | Wed, Feb. 15 | 15:00 ET | CBS, TUDN, Univision, UniMas | fuboTV, Paramount+, VIX+, TUDN App, Univision NOW |
UK | Wed, Feb. 15 | 20:00 GMT | BT Sport 1 | BT Sport App, BT Sport Ultimate |
Australia | Thu, Feb. 16 | 07:00 AEST | — | Stan Sport |
Canada | Wed, Feb. 15 | 15:00 ET | — | DAZN |
India | Thu, Feb. 16 | 00:30 IST | Sony Ten 2 & 3 | Sony LIV, JioTV |
New Zealand | Thu, Feb. 16 | 09:00 NZST | — | Spark Sport |
Malaysia | Thu, Feb. 16 | 04:00 MT | beIN Sports 3 | beIN Sports Connect, sooka |
Singapore | Thu, Feb. 16 | 04:00 SST | beIN Sports 3 | beIN Sports Connect, StarHub TV+ |
Hong Kong | Thu, Feb. 16 | 04:00 HKST | beIN Sports 3 | beIN Sports Connect |
UK: Wednesday’s match between Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea from Signal-Iduna Park will be broadcast in the UK via BT Sport on their linear and streaming platforms.
USA: Champions League matches can be seen in the United States exclusively on CBS’s subscription-based streaming service Paramount+. Select matches, such as this one, can be seen on television in Spanish via TUDN USA.
Canada: All Champions League matches are broadcast in Canada via DAZN.
Australia: Australia’s broadcaster for the Champions League all season long is Stan Sport.
Congratulations @BellinghamJude on being nominated for the @FIFPRO #World11 shortlist! 👏 pic.twitter.com/ZWHj3w9xv5
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) February 13, 2023
Borussia Dortmund vs. Chelsea projected lineups & team news
Dortmund are healthy for the most part, but do have a few important role players missing.
Wide man Marius Wolf suffered a shoulder injury last week that rules him out for a month, while Youssoufa Moukoko and Abdoulaye Kamara picked up knocks over the weekend which could see them miss out. Moukoko’s injury will likely see Sebastien Haller start up front, having returned from his bout with testicular cancer.
Thomas Meunier has just returned from a muscle injury and it’s unclear whether he’ll be fit to start, while Mateu Morey has been out for most of the season with a knee injury. Gio Reyna started the weekend league match with Karim Adeyemi suspended for yellow card accumulation, but the latter should return here.
Borussia Dortmund projected starting lineup (4-1-4-1): Kobel (GK) — Meunier, Sule, Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro — Can — Adeyemi, Bellingham, Reus, Brandt — Haller.
Chelsea are slowly getting healthier as they push through their injury crisis into the second half of the season, but there’s still a lot of work to do.
Reece James has returned to game action, and a host of players have returned to training, including Christian Pulisic, Wesley Fofana, and Mateo Kovacic. A return for Raheem Sterling is possible, but he may be better suited for a bench role in his first match back from a knee injury.
In defence Kalidou Koulibaly will likely be brought into the team after Benoit Badiashile was left out of the Champions League squad.
N’Golo Kante and Denis Zakaria are close to returns as well, but have not yet finished their treatment plans, while goalkeeper Edouard Mendy remains sidelined with a broken finger. Graham Potter must decide to recall Mason Mount after sitting out against West Ham over the weekend or stick with Ruben Loftus-Cheek in midfield.
Chelsea projected starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Kepa (GK) — James, Silva, Koulibaly, Cucurella — Mount, Fernandez — Mudryk, Felix, Ziyech — Havertz.
Bossing the middle. 👊 pic.twitter.com/aBIFb9ds5H
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 12, 2023
Borussia Dortmund vs. Chelsea betting odds & lines
These two teams are nearly dead even according to the oddsmakers, who have Borussia Dortmund as just the slight favorite at home in front of the Yellow Wall. Dortmund are in good form as they battle for a title in Germany, while Chelsea are currently a mid-table side in the Premier League.
The betting market thinks that both teams can find the back of the net, but they’re far more uncertain on whether this game will feature a bevy of goals. The 2.5 goal total sees identical odds on the over and under.
BetMGM (USA) |
Sports Interaction (Canada) |
SkyBet (UK) |
Neds (Australia) |
|
---|---|---|---|---|
Dortmund win | +155 | +141 | 29/20 | 2.45 |
Draw | +230 | +230 | 12/5 | 3.30 |
Chelsea win | +175 | +176 | 9/5 | 2.85 |
Both teams to score Y / N |
-145 / +105 | -154 / -101 | 4/6, 11/10 | 1.67 / 2.10 |
Over / Under 2.5 goals |
-120 / -120 | -115 / -119 | 10/11, 4/5 | 1.88 / 1.85 |
Dortmund -0.5 | +140 | +136 | — | — |
Chelsea +0.5 | -200 | -182 | — | — |
Credit: sportingnews.com