On Wednesday, Chelsea will play in its second Champions League match, traveling to Borussia Dortmund for the round of 16.
This Wednesday, Chelsea will play Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16, kicking off their Champions League knockout stage campaign. Graham Potter will be hoping to maintain Chelsea's unblemished record in European competition as the team travels to Germany this week, with the return leg taking place at Stamford Bridge in March.
The Blues' match against Dortmund is currently the main focus, but the club has been talking a lot in recent weeks about the Champions League. That was as a result of the difficult decisions Potter had to make regarding the composition of his 25-man squad.
According to reports, Chelsea added seven new players in January; however, only three of them—Andrey Santos, David Datro Fofana, Joao Felix, Benoit Badiashile, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, and Enzo Fernandez—could be named. Given their lack of experience and playing time since joining the club, the first two names were relatively simple to leave off.
For this reason, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang won't be able to play against his old team. Due to rumors of a transfer to MLS team Los Angeles FC, the 33-year-old has since been left out of Chelsea's last two matchday squads.
The Blues manager will be forced to make at least one change as a result of Badiashile's exclusion, and he will probably be concerned that several players might miss the second leg.
For Chelsea's upcoming match in the competition, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher, and Mudryk all need just one more caution. A caution at Signal Iduna Park would prevent the player from participating in the tie's other game back in west London because the Champions League's rules state that three yellow cards will result in a one-game suspension.
Even if that group manages to avoid receiving a caution against Dortmund and Chelsea and advances, their worries won't be entirely allayed because cautions are only dismissed after the quarterfinals have been played.
Trevoh Chalobah and Koulibaly appear to be vying for a spot in the team next to Thiago Silva now that Chelsea is playing with a back four. Wesley Fofana, on the other hand, is getting closer to making his injury come back and might be able to start.
However, a start is unlikely for the Frenchman because he hasn't played in a competitive match since early October. Since recovering from his illness, Koulibaly has resumed training. He was unable to play against West Ham. Potter must weigh a number of factors before deciding which of his defenders to play next to Silva if the choice is between Koulibaly and Chalobah.
Although Silva and Chalobah's defensive chemistry is probably stronger, Koulibaly has the advantage in experience and has already demonstrated this season how effective he can be in a partnership with a younger player next to him.
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