In the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 phase, Borussia Dortmund will face off against Chelsea, while Club Brugge will take on Benfica. For Chelsea, their star player Raheem Sterling is expected to be absent from the match due to injury. However, Sterling has returned to training at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground and is working towards his comeback. In addition to Sterling, Chelsea will also be without Christian Pulisic, Armando Broja, N’Golo Kante, and Edouard Mendy for the first leg against Dortmund.
The upcoming match between Chelsea and Dortmund will be their first-ever meeting in a European competition. Historically, Dortmund has struggled against English opponents, failing to secure a win in their last 10 encounters. Meanwhile, Chelsea has had mixed results against German opponents, with five defeats, three draws, and only three victories in their last 11 matches.
Alongside the Dortmund vs Chelsea match, Club Brugge will face Benfica in the first leg of the Round of 16 phase.
Both matches are scheduled to kick off at 01:30 AM IST on Thursday. The Dortmund vs Chelsea match will be held at Signal Iduna Park, while Club Brugge will host Benfica at Jan Breydel Stadium.
Indian viewers can catch the live broadcast of all Champions League matches, including Dortmund vs Chelsea and Club Brugge vs Benfica, on Sony Sports Network. Additionally, live streaming of the matches is available on SonyLIV for football fans in India.