Chelsea team news – Potter favourite returns but duo out vs Dortmund

Potter is facing some selection dilemmas for the Dortmund tie, as both Benoit Badiashile and Mason Mount are unavailable to play. The French defender along with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Noni Madueke and David Datro Fofana were not named in Potter’s Champions League squad while Mount will serve a one-match suspension for picking up his third yellow card of the competition in the first leg. Here, Express Sport looks at the team that Potter could name for a potentially season-defining tie.

Goalkeeper: Kepa Arrizabalaga

Kepa Arrizabalaga has been the undisputed number one since Potter arrived at Stamford Bridge, which is unlikely to change after the Spaniard kept a clean sheet against Leeds on Saturday.

Chelsea have only conceded more than one goal on just three occasions in 2023 despite their disappointing spell, as Potter is unlikely to recall Edouard Mendy to the team or promote Marcus Bettinelli to first-choice stopper.

Defence: Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ben Chilwell

Potter will hope that he has Reece James to call upon if he is to stick with the 3-4-3 shape that performed against Leeds. The England defender missed Saturday with a tight hamstring but there is a chance that the call to rule him out in the Premier League was precautionary, though Ruben Loftus-Cheek deputised ably at wing-back.

Badiashile’s forced absence ensures that Potter will have to call upon another defender from his arsenal to face Dortmund, which would likely be either Trevoh Chalobah or Marc Cucurella. The Spaniard has rarely featured as a centre-back since moving to Chelsea, but one positive would be that Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly’s positions would not have to change, as Chalobah would likely come in on the right of the back three.

Midfield: Enzo Fernandez, Mateo Kovacic

The signs were there of a potentially positive partnership between Enzo Fernandez and Mato Kovacic against Leeds, as the duo had a back three behind them and felt comfortable moving into forward spaces while they could imprint their qualities on the game.

Fernandez was able to constantly connect with Ben Chilwell with a cross-field ball that switched the play, while Kovacic’s composure and technique ensured that play was able to progress to the front three and it is unlikely that Potter will consider leaving either midfield star out to face Dortmund.