Chelsea will be looking to create some European magic when they head to Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Wednesday evening.
Under Graham Potter, the Blues have struggled for fluency and consistency, and a 1-1 draw away to West Ham last weekend leaves them languishing in mid-table in the Premier League.
Dortmund, on the other hand, have been flying in the Bundesliga, and a 2-0 win away to Werder Bremen last weekend was their sixth victory in a row in all competitions.
With UEFA scrapping the away goals rule, Chelsea would still like to keep a clean sheet and pinch one to give themselves a platform for the second leg at Stamford Bridge.
But how will the first leg unfold? We have scoured the betting markets and picked out a couple of tips to inspire you ahead of this mouthwatering clash.
Borussia Dortmund to come out on top in thriller
A trip to Signal Iduna Park is not for the faint-hearted, and it has become a cauldron in many respects for visiting teams.
Against the Hammers last weekend, Chelsea encompassed Jekyll and Hyde — there were some moments of brilliance thrown in with some insipid stages in the game, but a point won’t have done them much good.
The Blues really need to have a good go, and having previously experienced success in Europe a couple of seasons ago, they will want to go deep once again.
Dortmund in the meantime can produce breathtaking football, and they won’t be prepared to sit back and absorb pressure.
Against Werder Bremen, they may have needed two knockout blows in the second half to take the game, but they are good frontrunners.
I have a hunch this could be a compelling affair, but one that Dortmund will edge. For my first pick, I have gone with Dortmund to win and both teams to score, a price that is available at 15/4 with bet365.
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Dortmund vs Chelsea Predictions
Backing hosts to win the high-scoring affair
Julian Brandt to round things off
Dortmund provide a threat in most departments, and going forward, they have plenty of attacking weapons.
It has been nice to see the goals spread around, and Julian Brandt has chipped in with a few — seven to be precise in all competitions.
As far as the Champions League is concerned, Brandt has been a bit quiet in front of goal, netting just once, and they came in a 4-1 thrashing of Sevilla on the road back in October.
Nevertheless, Brandt has been a bright spark, scoring twice in his past three competitive appearances for Dortmund, and he could well make a telling difference against Chelsea.
Brandt could well net the final goal of the game, and he’s trading at an eye-catching if not slightly long price of 12/1 with Paddy Power to do so.
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Dortmund vs Chelsea Predictions
The value is huge on backing Brandt to score on Wednesday night
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