Chris Sutton has predicted Chelsea will win against Borussia Dortmund when the pair clash in this season’s Champions League knockout phase.
The Blues now know they will face German side Dortmund in the Champions League last 16, with the European competition resuming next February.
There’s still some time before the duo lock horns, but it’s one of the fascinating draws in this year’s competition.
Elsewhere, the English clubs have some difficult ties to overcome. Liverpool play Real Madrid in a repeat of last season’s final. Tottenham face off against AC Milan. Finally, Manchester City play against RB Leipzig.
The round of 16 also includes Inter Milan against Porto and Eintracht Frankfurt against Napoli. Finally, Club Brugge face Benfica, and there’s a gigantic meeting between Paris St-Germain and Bayern Munich.
Chelsea against Borussia Dortmund
Pundit Sutton has edged towards his former side Chelsea when predicting their showdown with Dortmund.
“What worries me about Chelsea is they do not seem to know what they are. They looked like a team without an identity in their 1-0 loss to Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday,” Sutton told the Daily Mail.
“Manager Graham Potter has used six different starting formations during his 12 games in charge — a true tinkerman. Maybe by February, he will have discovered his preferred team and tactics.
“Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang only managed eight touches in his reunion with Arsenal and Potter needs to get him much more involved on his return to Dortmund. Though they have their problems, I’m backing Chelsea to win.”
Thankfully, this two-legged European clash doesn’t take place until 2023.
It’s obvious Graham Potter is still trying to get his Chelsea side playing the way he wants, so facing Dortmund this week would’ve been a much harder proposition.
The Blues have some great pedigree in this competition, which is why they may be slight favourites to progress to the quarter-finals.
However, Dortmund’s squad is stacked with a lot of individual talent. In particular, English midfielder Jude Bellingham, who’s a player that Todd Boehly reportedly wants to bring to Chelsea.
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