Who is the referee for Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund?
Chelsea meet Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie this week, and it’s a vital game for Graham Potter.
The Chelsea boss has struggled since arriving from Brighton and, given the club’s massive January spending, he needs a Champions League run.
In fact, it may be the club’s only chance of qualifying for the tournament next season considering the are 11 points off the top four pace in the Premier League.
One man who will potentially have a huge say on the outcome of the tie, though, is the referee, but who is it?
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Who is the referee for Chelsea vs Dortmund?
Danny Makkelie (NED) will take charge of the Chelsea vs Dortmund second leg in the last 16 of the Champions League.
The 40-year-old Dutchman is one of the most recognisable officials in UEFA and he has a wealth of experience despite being just 40-years-old.
Makkelie is a veteran of nearly 300 Eredivisie games in his domestic League and has officiated 13 cup finals in his career at various levels.
The biggest of those was the 2020 Europa League final in which Sevilla beat Inter 3-2 in Koln.
Danny Makkelie record in Chelsea games
Makkelie is an experienced official with 40 Champions League games under his belt, as well as taking charge at two games at the 2022 World Cup.
Four of those games came in games involving Chelsea, and the Blues are undefeated so far with the Dutchman officiating.
The first of those came all the way back in 2014. That was so long ago that Loic Remy was among the Chelsea goalscorers in a 6-0 win over NK Maribor.
Makkelie was in charge in 2017 at Stamford Bridge too when the Blues drew 1-1 against Atletico Madrid, and he was also in the middle at the Bernabeu in 2021 – also a 1-1 draw.
If Chelsea fans are looking for a good omen, Makkelie was the referee when they beat AC Milan 3-0 at Stamford Bridge in October.
Danny Makkelie Chelsea record
Games: 4
Chelsea wins: 2
Draws: 2
Defeats: 0
Yellow Cards: 13
Red Cards: 0
Penalties awarded: 3
Danny Makkelie record in Dortmund games
While Chelsea won't mind seeing Makkelie in charge at Stamford Bridge, Dortmund fans are likely to be downright happy about it.
He has refereed five matches involving Dortmund before, all in the Champions League, and the Bundesliga side has won four of them.
His first game involving Dortmund was in 2017 when they beat Sporting CP 1-0 at home. He was in charge a couple years later too as they beat Club Brugge by the same scoreline.
Inter were beaten under the watchful eye of Makkelie in 2019 and most recently he oversaw a 3-2 success over Sevilla.
The only time Dortmund didn't win with Makkelie in charge was a 1-0 defeat at home to Tottenham in 2019.
Danny Makkelie Dortmund record
Games: 5
Dortmund wins: 4
Draws: 0
Defeats: 1
Yellow Cards: 6
Red Cards: 0
Penalties awarded: 0
Who is the VAR for Chelsea vs Dortmund?
Pol Van Boekel (NED) will be the video assistant referee for this game, and again that might prove to be a good omen for Chelsea.
He has only been involved in one Chelsea match before, and that was the previously mentioned 3-0 win against Milan.