BVB progressed to the knockouts, courtesy of finishing second in Group G behind Manchester United, while the the visitors secured top spot in Group E, ahead of AC Milan, Red Bull Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb.
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Borussia Dortmund will host a struggling Chelsea in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 fixture at Westfalenstadion on Wednesday night. The hosts are heading into the match on the back of a convincing 2-0 Bundesliga win over Werder Bremen on Saturday, while Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw by West Ham United in the Premier League, on the same day. BVB progressed to the knockouts, courtesy of finishing second in Group G behind Manchester United, while the the visitors secured top spot in Group E, ahead of AC Milan, Red Bull Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb.
Beginning our #UCL prep! 💪 pic.twitter.com/bIZiFMjeEV
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 13, 2023
Dortmund are in stunning form, having won six consecutive games since the World Cup break. Last time out, BVB dominated the proceedings against Bremen at Weserstadion but had to wait till the 67th-minute to break the deadlock. Substitute Jamie Bynoe-Gittens found the back of the net with a thunderous strike, before Julian Brandt sealed the win five minutes from time. It was Dortmund’s 13th league-win of the season, taking their tally to 40 points from 20 games, sitting at the third spot in the German top flight standings. Meanwhile, when it comes to the Champions League, the Signal Iduna Park has become more-or-less a fortress for BVB in the last couple of years, having lost only four of their last 21 home matches. But three of those defeats came against English outfits.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are going through a rough patch, having won just two of their last nine outings across all competitions after the World Cup break. Since edging past Crystal Palace 1-0 on January 15, Graham Potter’s side have shared the spoils in the next three games in the top flight. Last time out, winter signing Joao Felix gave an early lead to the Blues, but Emerson Palmeri equalised before the half-hour mark. Chelsea’s hopes of finishing in the top-four continue to fade as they are currently languishing at the ninth spot in the English top flight standings, ten points behind fourth-placed Newcastle United. The two-time Champions League-winners started off the 2022-23 campaign with a shock 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb, but then went on to win four of their next five games to progress as group-winners.
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Borussia Dortmund’s injury list consists of Youssoufa Moukoko, Marius Wolf, Abdoulaye Kamara and Mateu Morey. Sebastian Haller could lead the line, with Marco Reus in support. Thomas Meunier has recovered from a muscle strain and is set to battle with winter signing Julian Rayerson for a place at the right-back position. As for Chelsea, N’Golo Kante, Christian Pulisic, Armando Broja and Edouard Mendy are occupying the treatment room. Meanwhile, the likes of Wesley Fofana, Mateo Kovacic, Denis Zakaria, Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Kouliably are doubtful for Wednesday’s game.
Borussia Dortmund Probable line-up: Kobel, Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Guerreiro, Bellingham, Can, Adeyemi, Reus, Brandt, Haller
Chelsea probable line-up: Arrizabalaga, James, Thiago Silva, Koulibaly, Chilwell, Loftus-Cheek, Fernandez, Mount, Felix, Mudryk, Havertz
Borussia Dortmund
| Opponents | Score |
| Werder Bremen | 0-2 (W) |
| Bochum | 1-2 (W) |
| Freiburg | 5-1 (W) |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 0-2 (W) |
| Mainz | 1-2 (W) |
Chelsea
| Opponents | Score |
| West Ham | 1-1 (D) |
| Fulham | 0-0 (D) |
| Liverpool | 0-0 (D) |
| Crystal Palace | 1-0 (W) |
| Fulham | 2-1 (L) |
The Champions League match between Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea will take place at Signal Iduna Park on Thursday at 1:30 am IST.
| Borussia Dortmund vs Chelsea | Key Details |
| Date | February 15 (Germany) |
| Venue | Westfalenstadion |
| Kickoff time in Germany | 9:00 pm (Wednesday) |
| Kickoff time in UK | 8:00 pm (Wednesday) |
| Kickoff time in India | 1:30 am (Thursday) |
The live telecast of the Champions League matches in India is available on the Sony Sports network. Fans will also be able to watch the match on Jio TV. Besides, the match between Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea can also be seen on DAZN, DAZN 1 and Servus TV in Germany. Meanwhile, those in the UK can catch the live action through BT Sport network, TalkSport Radio UK and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.
