MY ACCOUNT
Edin Terzic called on Jude Bellingham to stand up and lead Borussia Dortmund in their “brutally difficult” Champions League task at Chelsea on Tuesday.
Dortmund head to Stamford Bridge for the second leg of their European last-16 clash with a 1-0 lead after Karim Adeyemi’s second-half strike proved the difference in the first meeting.
Another heavyweight clash will provide Bellingham with a further chance to prove his worth on the biggest stage, having already impressed for England at the World Cup in Qatar.
The teenage midfielder remains a reported target of Liverpool and Real Madrid, as well as a host of Europe’s elite, yet Bellingham’s primary task will be helping Dortmund past Chelsea first.
Dortmund coach Terzic said at Monday’s pre-match press conference: “Everyone knows his potential. He also had the opportunity to choose the Premier League when he came to us.
“But he chose Dortmund. He helps us and we help him. We’re happy to have him with us, he’s a leader of ours. We need a good performance from him.”
Bellingham leads Dortmund’s scoring charts with four goals in the Champions League this term, including a strike away at Manchester City in the group stages.
The 19-year-old could become the first Englishman in the history of the competition to score away from home against two different English sides.
However, Terzic acknowledged it will take a gutsy performance to overcome Chelsea despite Dortmund heading to England on a 10-match winning streak since the start of 2023.
“I don’t think the form will decide tomorrow. It’s a knockout game. We have a narrow lead,” he added. “We are warned enough, we know what quality they have.
“We all know that sometimes 2-0 is not enough to go through. In the first leg, Chelsea didn’t get the result they deserved, they caught us off guard a couple of times but didn’t score.
“Then it becomes very dangerous. They showed that [in the Premier League] against Tottenham, against Leeds [United] and Southampton. It’s going to be a brutally difficult task for us.”
Chelsea had eight shots on target in the first leg, their highest number in a Champions League clash without scoring since Opta data began in 2003.
Graham Potter’s side may have deserved more from the opening clash but Dortmund had Gregor Kobel’s seven saves to thank – the most he has made in a single match in the competition.
Kobel has been out with a thigh injury and missed Friday’s 2-1 Bundesliga victory over RB Leipzig, with Terzic refusing to make an early call on the goalkeeper’s fitness for Chelsea.
“We will minimise the risk,” Terzic said, before keeping his cards close to his chest and adding: “He has felt better every day.”
