Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has warned his players not to focus on Chelsea’s league position in their Champions League last-16 clash tomorrow.
The Blues welcome BVB to London, with the Bundesliga club carrying a 1-0 advantage from the first leg in Germany. A solo Karim Adeyemi goal was enough to beat Chelsea.
Chelsea lost their next two games to bottom-placed Southampton and London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, ramping up the pressure on manager Graham Potter.
The former Brighton & Hove Albion boss faced a make-or-break game against Leeds United in the Premier League over the weekend.
However, Chelsea secured an unconvincing 1-0 win over Leeds as Wesley Fofana thumped in a header to give his manager some respite.
Chelsea were unimpressive during the game, but Dortmund chief Watzke remains wary of the threat the Premier League club poses.
Speaking to Sport1, Watzke said: “No one should believe that tenth place in the Premier League reflects Chelsea’s sporting quality.
“The knot could burst at any time. After all, they spent over €600 million on transfers in eight months.”
Despite his comments, the 63-year-old is confident in his side and believes Dortmund manager Edin Terzic can lead them to glory at Stamford Bridge.
That confidence is not misplaced, with BV on a ten-game winning run in the Bundesliga and level on points with table-toppers Bayern Munich.
Dortmund sealed a win over fellow title contenders RB Leipzig this weekend to keep up their title chase.
Leipzig dominated the game, created openings and had more chances, but BVB held their nerve to secure the victory.
They will be hoping for more of that fighting mentality when they clash with Chelsea tomorrow for a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
