Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea have a lot of things in common, as they had a pretty solid business relationship in the past and a few players that link them. This Wednesday night, they will share the pitch in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16. The odds are close to being even without a notable favorite in this matchup. Both teams have injured players, yet that won’t be an alibi in case of elimination.
Preview
Borussia Dortmund (+150) has been in one hell of a shape since the World Cup ended, winning all of its six contests since the restart of the championship. We must say that the Millionaires played well, and we haven’t seen them at such a high level for a long time.
In each of these six events, Borussia Dortmund netted at least twice, winning some very tough events, like the one in Leverkusen, 0-2, or in Bremen, also 0-2. They push well in the DFB Pokal as well, reaching the quarterfinals.
Two of Dortmund’s most recent home games have been more than efficient. The first was against Augsburg, 4-3, and vs. Freiburg, 5-1. Overall, this team has been playing much more efficient contests now than prior to the World Cup.
Chelsea (+180) is in limbo, and its previous three performances have ended without winners, twice without goals, at Anfield against Liverpool and at home where they faced Fulham. Last Saturday, we saw them playing 1-1 in the London Derby versus West Ham 1-1.
Of Chelsea’s last nine clashes, seven have seen under 2.5 scores. Six events during that span concluded with just one side netting, which tells enough about the Blues’ style of play.
In those nine games, Graham Potter’s crew has just two victories, with four ties and three losses. The inconsistency is the main problem of this unit, and we do get that Potter has to involve new players, but still, the performances are way below the expected level.
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Wolf is injured, as well as Moukoko, who is also experiencing some disputes with the management. Kamare, Morey, and Rothe are all injured as well.
Kante is doubtful for the Blues, while Kovacic, Zakaria, Pulisic, Fofana, and Mendy won’t play for the visitors. There would be much easier for Potter if he at least had Kante, but his situation is unclear.
Head to Head Games
Even though these two teams are constantly on the European stage, they haven’t met in the past. This will be their first official meeting ever.
Prediction
The Millionaires are our pick here. Their form is better, and their chemistry is much higher than Chelsea’s. The Blues may be better individually than Borussia; still, they haven’t played together for too long. Also, there is a matter of a home-field edge here, and Borussia utilizes that very well this year. Signal Iduna Park and the atmosphere there are unique in Europe. They play a huge role in Borussia’s results this season and given the fact that Chelsea posts poor performances outside Stamford, this will have a massive impact.
Pick: Dortmund +150
- Here are more UEFA Champions League Round of 16 previews:
Here are the previews for Europa League games:
Nikola Velickovic is a sports journalist who loves to write and read on all sports. Nikola contributes both news updates and functions as a sports breaking news writer at WagerBop.
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Email: nikola@wagerbop.com
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