Chelsea are set to host Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 clash on Tuesday, 7 March. Last Word on Football tries to put together a Chelsea predicted lineup for their do-or-die European tie – which they must win to stay in the competition.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs Borussia Dortmund
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How Chelsea Have Lined-Up Recently
Graham Potter managed a sigh of relief at the weekend when he saw his Chelsea players finally able to win a match and put an end to a six-game winless streak. He had to make a few changes to his team as well as his system for things to finally work out.
Due to the constant chop and change in the team over the last few weeks, it’s difficult to pinpoint a permanent starting eleven for the London side. However, Kepa Arrizabalaga is the undisputed number one and has featured in the vast majority of the club’s games this season. Wesley Fofana has started featuring more often after returning from injury, as has Raheem Sterling.
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Enzo Fernandez and Joao Felix have been their brightest players since arriving in the January transfer window and Ben Chilwell’s been quite solid in recent weeks too, helping him line up ahead of Marc Cucurella. Benoit Badiashile has also put in admirable efforts since arriving in January and was termed as a ‘big quality player’ by Kepa recently, but he can’t feature in this due to being ineligible and will be dropped.
Chelsea Recent Form and Tactics
Potter reverted to a three-at-the-back formation for the Leeds United game and it worked out quite well. So it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see him use the 3-4-3 formation for this crucial Champions League knockout tie as well. Chelsea has played a possession-heavy style of football under the English manager, showing a priority in moving the ball smoothly from the back into the final third.
That involves a lot of passes in the build-up play and their attacking moves can be quite slow at times. However, Fernandez has proven to be a creative threat – as he often looks for ambitious forward passes to send his teammates through or send crosses into the box. Felix and Sterling are both well adept at running with the ball at their feet, but will both need to be more clinical in the final third to set up big chances against Dortmund.
How Should Chelsea Approach This Game?
Kai Havertz is under a lot of pressure for not being able to score enough goals, having netted only six times in 32 games this season. He’ll need to prove his quality in this one, continuing with his roaming style to drop deep to help link-up attacks – but more importantly, be ruthless in the box to finish whatever chances he gets.
Chelsea needs to show more urgency against Dortmund than they have in their last few games. They cannot be patient with their build-up and need to be faster, and more innovative with their attacking moves. Moreover, the Blues also need to keep up their set-piece prowess and use that to their advantage to torment Dortmund.
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However, they cannot take the Bundesliga side lightly. They are in good form and have the in-demand Jude Bellingham leading them – as well as unpredictable attacking players like Sebastien Haller and Marco Reus. If Chelsea lose their concentration repeatedly throughout the game, then the visitors can run riot and cause major embarrassment.
Chelsea Injuries to Consider
Speaking ahead of the match, Potter confirmed that Christian Pulisic will be in the squad and that the club will make a decision on James before the game. Potter also stated that this tie is “too soon” for N’Golo Kante and he will not feature, whilst long-term absentees Thiago Silva and Armando Broja are both still out.
It is also worth noting that Mason Mount will miss the game through suspension.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup
Kepa Arrizabalaga, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ben Chilwell, Enzo Fernandez, Mateo Kovacic, Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix, Kai Havertz
