Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund - Pre-season friendly: TV channel, team news, lineups & prediction
- Chelsea's final pre-season friendly of US tour
- The Blues knocked Borussia Dortmund out of last season's Champions League
- Both teams are unbeaten but have been plagued by injuries
Chelsea wrap up an entertaining pre-season tour of the US with a friendly against Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in the early hours of Thursday morning in Chicago.
Mauricio Pochettino's new side won the inaugural Premier League Summer Series, defeating fellow English top-flight clubs Brighton and Fulham on either side of a 1-1 draw with Newcastle.
Borussia Dortmund have also conquered Premier League opposition during pre-season, punishing a sloppy Manchester United to run out 3-2 victors on Monday.
Here's everything you need to know about the rematch of last season's Champions League round of 16 tie.
READ THE LATEST CHELSEA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
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Where are Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund playing?
- Location: Chicago, United States
- Stadium: Soldier Field
- Date: Wednesday 2 August
- Kick-off Time: 01:30 BST* / 20:30 ET / 17:30 PT
*Thursday 3 August
Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund H2H record (Last Five Competitive Games)
- Chelsea: 1 win
- Borussia Dortmund: 0 wins
- Draws: 1
- Last meeting: Chelsea 2-0 Borussia Dortmund (Champions League - March 7, 2023)
How to watch Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund on TV and live stream
Country | TV channel / Live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | Chelsea.com, The 5th Stand |
United States | ESPNU, ESPN+, fuboTV, ESPN App |
Canada | DAZN |
Chelsea team news
Chelsea had three players at the under-21 European Championships this summer but only Levi Colwill has returned from the finals fully fit. The centre-back with a new long-term contract won the tournament with England alongside Noni Madueke but the winger is yet to feature in pre-season as he nurses a hamstring injury. Ukraine's Mykhailo Mudryk is also a doubt after sustaining a knock during the competition.
First-choice goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga sat out Chelsea's 2-0 victory over Fulham on Sunday but Pochettino confirmed the Spaniard's absence was due to fatigue rather than fitness. Backup option Marcus Bettinelli is nursing an injury himself.
Centre-back Trevoh Chalobah limped out of the west London derby with a knock. Pochettino was more hopeful than certain that "it's not a big issue".
The Blues are in advanced talks with Monaco regarding Axel Disasi to add some cover for Chalobah in defence but negotiations are nowhere near the stage where the 25-year-old could feature against Dortmund.
Long-term absentees Wesley Fofana and Armando Broja remain sidelined while Benoit Badiashile is targeting a return from his hamstring injury in late August.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Borussia Dortmund
Chelsea predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Arrizabalaga; James, Silva, Colwill, Chilwell; Fernandez, Santos; Sterling, Chukwuemeka, Nkunku; Jackson
Borussia Dortmund team news
Felix Nmecha had his Dortmund debut delayed by a muscular issue on the back of his thigh. After the victory over Manchester United, BVB boss Edin Terzic admitted: "We would naturally have liked him to already be on the pitch with us today. But we're very cautious." Whether that caution carries over to Thursday remains to be seen.
Gregor Kobel and Thomas Meunier both sustained injuries during the combative contest with United. Kobel, Dortmund's first-choice keeper, will definitely miss the friendly against Chelsea while Meunier's availability is less certain.
Centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck and youngster Julien Duranville will play no further part in pre-season while their nurse knee and thigh injuries respectively. Gio Reyna, Mateu Morey, and Soumaila Coulibaly also have fitness doubts looming over them.
Borussia Dortmund predicted lineup vs Chelsea
Borussia Dortmund predicted lineup (4-3-3): Meyer; Wolf, Suler, Hummels, Bensebaini; Sabitzer, Can, Brandt; Malen, Haller, Adeyemi
Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund score prediction
Both clubs are yet to taste defeat in this year's pre-season friendlies. After facing kind opposition, Dortmund got an encouraging result against United but still conceded numerous chances.
Chelsea, boasting a front line with two new arrivals in the form of Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson that have rapidly assimilated, are in a position to take advantage of defensive deficiencies.
In what could be another entertaining encounter, Chelsea may be the only team to emerge with their unbeaten record still intact.
Prediction: Chelsea 3-2 Borussia Dortmund