Chelsea certainly did not get the result they wanted this weekend, in the league, as they had to settle for a score draw with West Ham United. However, there won’t be much to ruminate on points dropped in the London derby league fixture, as a continental clash beckons in Deutschland in midweek.
Let’s preview the trip to Borussia Dortmund, for the home leg in their UEFA Champions League round of 16 clash.
Chelsea FC at Borussia Dortmund FYIs
Kickoff: Wed Feb 15, 8pm Signal Iduna Park
Competition: UCL Round of 16, Leg 1/2
Chelsea Starting XI Prediction: go here
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Google Result Probability: Borussia Dortmund 37% Extra Time 28% Chelsea FC win 35%
Chelsea Team News
Raheem Sterling missed out of the 1-1 affair with West Ham, as he’s been struggling with a knee issue, according to various reports. The club’s official page referred to Sterling’s issue as having suffered “a knock in training.”
N’Golo Kante is back training, but only in individual workouts. At least he is getting out now on the practice pitch, as he continues his rehabilitation after having underwent hamstring surgery.
Mateo Kovacic, Wesley Fofana and Denis Zakaria are now back in full training but did not feature against the Hammers. They should be in contention to play here.
Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy remains sidelined with a broken finger. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang seems to have worn out his welcome as he’s recently been left out of some match day squads (and went unregistered for the UCL), and now even finds himself linked with a potential move away.
Speaking of players likely to leave the club soon, Christian Pulisic is still out injured, but his camp claims that he is ahead of schedule in his recovery.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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