Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund Predictions

• Dortmund have won all 10 games they’ve played in 2023
• Chelsea have scored five goals in the calendar year, winning two of 12 games
• The Blues won on Saturday after switching to a back-three, but they’ve got two fit centre-backs available here
• Bellingham has hit four Champions League goals this term, including one at Man City

Will patience last for Potter?

Chelsea claimed a 1-0 win over Leeds on Saturday, with that win showing a clear change in approach from Graham Potter. The Blues shut up shop not long after taking the lead, with their first goal in nearly a month coming from defender Wesley Fofana from a corner.

Potter went pragmatic just to get three points on the board, having seen his side start 2023 with one win in 11 games across all competitions before that. However, the nature of that win over the Premier League’s 17th-placed side hardly brings confidence for Tuesday’s return to Champions League action.

The Blues trail 1-0 to Borussia Dortmund after the first leg and the German side have progressed from five of their six previous knockout stage ties in this competition when winning the first leg.

Storming Dortmund

As Europe’s biggest spenders search desperately for a goal, Borussia Dortmund have rallied since losing the Premier League’s top scorer last summer. They clearly made the most of Germany’s extended World Cup break, as they’ve won every game they’ve played in 2023.

Dortmund’s winning run now stretches back 10 games, keeping them alive across three competitions. Having pulled level with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, they can’t be taken lightly in Europe.

Friday night saw them beat Leipzig 2-1, the side who held Man City in a recent Champions League clash. Having come through big tests ahead of this trip, it’s hard to justify having the visitors priced at above 3/1 for a visit to the side who are currently 10th in the Premier League.

Value lies with visitors

Dortmund hold an advantage from the first leg but their brilliant start to the year suggests they won’t come to London to settle for a draw. When you look at the current state of both sides, there’s little reason for the visitors to fear Chelsea. If the Bundesliga outfit maintain their level of performance from the year so far they can blitz past a Blues side who have scored five goals in 2023.

Dortmund have a string of players capable of breaking down a Chelsea defence which will be without Thiago Silva and Benoit Badiashile. Potter found some joy with a switch to a back three on Saturday, but absences mean he’s unlikely to have three fit centre-halves available to pick.

Dortmund are far too big a price when you compare the form of the pair. There’s not exactly a gulf in quality between the two sides, the Blues pit record-signing Enzo Fernandez against Europe’s most sought-after midfielder.

Jude Bellingham is Dortmund’s highest scorer in Europe this season with four goals, including one away against City in the group stage. He could become the first Englishman in the competition’s history to score away from home against two different English sides.

Back Bellingham to make his mark in his return to England, while his team should leave with a win and a quarter-final spot. Chelsea are desperate and will need to go all out for a goal at some point, so back them to notch in a 2-1 defeat to Germany’s form side.