Chelsea's crash test in Dortmund

BVB is in top form and has won every game in 2023 so far. Chelsea, on the other hand, have been without a win for the past 3 games, despite setting a new spending record in the winter. Coach Graham Potter is under massive criticism and has to bring the undoubted quality to the lawn. There is no clear favorite due to the last few weeks. 

A few weeks or months ago, the Blues would certainly have been the favorites in this encounter. In the meantime, however, a lot has changed and so it is that Dortmund is even slightly favored. The hosts started 2023 furiously and have won all 5 games so far in the Bundesliga. In the table they are only 3 points behind FC Bayern Munich. Chelsea, on the other hand, hasn't really got going since the controversial change of coach. Even after numerous reinforcements in winter, the team could only win one of the last 7 league games.

Are you new to our Betandyou blog? Well, check out our promotions!

Borussia Dortmund analysis

The hosts didn't have a satisfactory autumn and lost too many games in the German Bundesliga. In the Champions League and in the DFB Cup, on the other hand, they have shown appealing performances. Partly to blame for the lack of consistency were certainly the many injuries, especially on the offensive. The majority of the squad is now fit again and they are currently showing what they are capable of. In Germany, BVB is the best-formed team in the Bundesliga. In the meantime, they have fought their way back to 3rd place in the table and now they want to convince in the Champions League as well. In the duel against Chelsea FC there is certainly a lot inside and the quarter-finals is not excluded.

After the sacking of Marco Rose and the rehiring of Edin Terzic, many have been expecting this season. However, these expectations were somewhat dampened in the fall because the start did not go as planned. In autumn they already suffered 6 defeats in 15 games and the championship title seemed to be out of reach again.But we worked well over the winter and with the return of some top performers, BVB has its first real winning streak this year. They have won 5 games in a row in the Bundesliga and also celebrated a win against VfL Bochum in the DFB Cup. Now it's about creating a good starting position in the round of 16 of the Champions League. In the home game against Chelsea, BVB will certainly want to present, after all, going to Stamford Bridge will be anything but easy.

The black and yellow want to use their home strength in the game against Chelsea. Although they are only in 5th place in the Bundesliga home table, this is because they played one game less than the competition. Should they also win the next home game, they would be the strongest home team in the Bundesliga. They were able to win 7 of 9 games in front of their own fans , most recently there were 4 home wins in a row. Their only home defeat came on matchday 3 against SV Werder Bremen. They conceded 3 goals in this game. As a rule, however, the club is quite stable on the defensive at home, after all they have not conceded a goal in 5 of 9 home games.The team is particularly spectacular in 2023, as the two previous home games ended with a 4:3 win and a 5:1 win.

BVB was in a tough group with Manchester City, FC Sevilla and FC Copenhagen. After 6 matchdays and only one defeat, the team secured second place behind Manchester City relatively confidently. 3 out of 6 games ended in a draw. Victories were celebrated at home against Copenhagen and away against Sevilla. With only 5 goals conceded in 6 games, they were also quite stable on the defensive. Apart from the 0-0 win against Manchester City, they could also score in every group game. The only defeat was a narrow 2-1 away in Manchester.

Apart from winter newcomer Julien Duranville, no BVB player is currently injured. Coach Edin Terzic is spoiled for choice when it comes to line-up. The strongest player in the squad is currently Julian Brandt, who is also one of the best scorers in the Bundesliga. Sebastian Haller has also found his way around better and better in the last few games. With Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Süle, a new central defender duo is slowly emerging. The coach will certainly not rotate much. However, one or the other change compared to the last matchday in the Bundesliga could definitely occur.

Chelsea analysis

Things are currently going very differently at Chelsea FC than at BVB. The Blues are simply struggling after the managerial change and are currently only mid-table in the Premier League. With 31 points from 22 games, they take 9th place there. They are already 10 points short of a place in the Champions League and their form curve is pointing downwards. The last 3 games in the league ended in a draw and they only scored one goal. Should they now also be eliminated in the Champions League, it could be very tight for coach Graham Potter. One of the few positive aspects is currently the defensive. Chelsea have only conceded one goal in their last 4 competitive games.

This question is currently occupying the football world, because no club has ever spent more money on newcomers in winter than Chelsea. No fewer than 6 new players were signed and some of them were also in the starting XI on the last matchday. So far it hasn't done them much though as in 2023 they managed just one win from 7 Premier League games. On the last matchday there was a 1:1 away at West Ham United. The offensive in particular was almost completely redesigned and consisted of 3 newcomers. Coach Graham Potter hasn't found a first eleven yet and may therefore rotate again in the game against Dortmund.

The Blues' away record also looks pretty bleak, because they haven't won an away game since October 2022, neither in the league, nor in the Champions League or a cup game. Accordingly, they have a negative away balance in the Premier League. They lost 5 out of 12 away games and only won 4. 2 more ended in a draw. The goal difference is also worrying. In 12 away games they have only scored 10 goals and therefore less than 1.00 goals per game!They haven't managed to score more than one goal in 7 games. The last time this happened was on October 16 against Aston Villa. 5 of the last 7 away games ended with less than 2.5 goals due to the offensive weakness.

In the premier class, however, the team mostly felt very comfortable this year. In a difficult group with Milan, Salzburg and Zagreb, they secured first place ahead of the Italians. 4 out of 6 group games were won and only the away game against Dinamo Zagreb was surprisingly lost. With a goal difference of 10-4 goals, they were extremely strong both offensively and defensively. Chelsea were responsible for at least 2 goals in 4 of 6 group games and at least managed to stay clean twice. The last 4 group games were also all won.

Borrusia Dortmund - Chelsea: What to expect? 

Chelsea FC certainly has the even higher quality in the squad, but cannot use it at the moment. With 6 wins in 2023, BVB is the most in-form team in Germany, and they also have home field advantage on their side. Chelsea have not won an away game since October 2022. A risk bet on a home win by Dortmund is therefore quite conceivable. We would even recommend a double chance 1/X as a bank tip.

• Borussia Dortmund to win (risk)
• Double Chance 1X

* All odds and markets are correct at time of publication and subject to change.