Chelsea will welcome Borussia Dortmund at Stamford Bridge in the second leg of the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. Chelsea are currently trailing by a goal following their defeat to Dortmund in the first leg at Signal Iduna Park in February.
The blues need to win the game by a two-goal margin to progress to the next stage of the Champions League. Dortmund are yet to lose a game in 2023 after ten matches and are the team to beat at the moment. Chelsea returned to winning ways after recording a 1-0 victory against Leeds United in the Premier League.
The west London club will be without Thiago Silva against Borussia Dortmund. The Brazilian international missed Chelsea’s win over Leeds United. Reece James and Christian Pulisic, who missed the Leeds United game, will be available for the match, N’Golo Kante, who has been out since last year, returned to training but will not be available for the Borussia Dortmund game.
Providing Fitness updates on Reece James, N’Golo Kante, and Christian Pulisic at a Press conference ahead of the Champions League encounter with Borussia Dortmund, he said: “Reece, we’ll make a decision on tomorrow. Christian is in the squad. He’s trained and is looking good. It’s too soon for N’Golo; he’s only had two full training sessions. It’s too soon, but he’s looking good. So we’re going to continue with that progress.”
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Asked how he would integrate N’Golo Kante into The team following his long absence, Graham Potter added: “It’s a complex one with him because he has had a long time out. So he’s back in full training but then it’s how we get him up to speed to play in the Champions League or Premier League. That is when he needs a bit of time with the group, bit of time in training, and we’ll need to build his minutes up. He won’t be able to go straight in for 90 minutes any time soon, but the fact he is training and with us, the fact he is training, is exciting.”
Graham Potter has heaped praise on Chelsea’s new signing Felix Joao.
He said: “We’re really happy with him – providing he isn’t tackling anyone on the halfway line! His quality is clear. He can receive the ball in tight spaces and makes things happen from an attacking perspective. He’s hit the bar twice, scored, and had some other chances. So he has that quality. The fact he can play in a few positions is good. We’ve tended to use him more centrally but he has the ability to play anywhere in the attacking phase of the game.”
Potter also revealed that the team would need their supporters on the night at Stamford Bridge against Dortmund.
He continued: “The fans are always entitled to air their views and they have been suffering like the rest of us have in terms of results. I thought the reception we had and the support we had at the weekend was fantastic. They got behind the team and they know the importance of the game tomorrow night. They want the team to go through. They know how important they are because in the Champions League away from home it is tough – and we want to make sure it is tough for Dortmund. We need our supporters for that.”
