Dortmund targets big-spending Chelsea in Champions League

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This article was published 14/02/2023 (1326 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Chelsea has one of the most talented and expensive group of players ever assembled in world soccer. Now might be the ideal time to beat them.

Borussia Dortmund is targeting an upset of big-spending Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 meeting Wednesday. Chelsea’s recent run of three straight draws in the Premier League — including 1-1 against West Ham on Saturday — should be an encouraging sign for the German team.

Against West Ham, Chelsea looked like a group of extremely talented individuals who have just been introduced. That, of course, is exactly what they are.

In a starting line-up containing five January signings, João Félix, Enzo Fernández and Mykhailo Mudryk all shone in brief glimpses but didn’t form a cohesive unit before West Ham leveled the score and Chelsea gradually faded away in the second half.

Given time, though, Chelsea’s communication will improve. If the timing of Chelsea’s runs had been slightly better, two goals ruled out for offside early on might have stood and the game could have become a rout.

Playing in front of Dortmund’s deafeningly loud “Yellow Wall” of fans is never easy, and the German team will fancy its chance of an upset win. Dortmund goes into the game having won all six of its games in 2023. Chelsea’s record in the new year is one win from eight, and even that was an underwhelming 1-0 at home to Crystal Palace.

In Sébastien Haller, Dortmund has a striker who scored 11 Champions League goals last season for Ajax. Haller is in line to make his European debut for Dortmund after missing all of the first half of the season while being treated for testicular cancer. He hasn’t yet played a full 90 minutes but he’s integrated well into the team.

Any Dortmund fans still looking for two of their club’s old heroes in the Chelsea team will be disappointed. Christian Pulisic has not played since early January with a knee problem, and the American may be squeezed out of the team by the new signings once he is fit. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was cut from Chelsea’s Champions League squad entirely to make way for the new arrivals.

Dortmund’s standout at the weekend in an often-turgid 2-0 win over Werder Bremen was Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, an 18-year-old forward from London who was briefly part of Chelsea’s youth system as a young child. He came off the bench to break the deadlock against Bremen with his third goal in nine league games this season, underlining his status

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As always when Dortmund plays, and especially against English opposition, all eyes will be on Jude Bellingham. The England midfielder looks likely to be at the center of a transfer frenzy this summer, and Dortmund has admitted it can’t hope to match contract offers from top European teams.

There was a blow Monday when 18-year-old forward Youssoufa Moukoko was ruled out of the Chelsea game with an ankle injury that’s expected to need six weeks’ recovery time.

Dortmund has saved some of its best performances this season for its biggest opponents and held Manchester City to a 0-0 draw last time it hosted English opposition in October. For a team often in Bayern Munich’s shadow, what could be better than beating world soccer’s biggest spenders?

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More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports