When Chelsea were drawn against Borussia Dortmund on Monday morning, it was one that excited plenty of supporters.
The Blues take on the Black and Yellow – with the first-leg in mid-to-late February – for the first time ever in European competition. The first-leg will be played at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund before the decisive game that will take place at Stamford Bridge in March.
Graham Potter will get his first taste of Champions League knockouts against Dortmund, where he will go head-to-head with Edin Terzic. The Black and Yellow manager plays a very – what could be called – 'typical Dortmund' style of play: high-pressing, intense and possession-based.
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In many ways, it's a similar style to what Potter has already faced in the Champions League in the two matches against FC Salzburg, where Chelsea drew the home match and won the away fixture. However, the quality that Dortmund have at their disposal will make it an even more challenging encounter.
The German outfit, who are currently fourth in the Bundesliga after their opening 13 matches of the season, have made a mixed start to their league campaign. Terzic's side have won eight out of their 13 fixtures, losing four and drawing once.
Dortmund finished second in Group G – five points behind Manchester City but four ahead of third-place Sevilla. They only won two out of their six matches but drew three, with their only defeat coming to City. In both matches, Terzic showed his style of play and how they are able to keep it tight at the back, as well as having the talent to score when attacking.
The Bundesliga side love to keep the ball for lengthy periods to wear the opposition down, and when out of possession, there is often an intense press to try and steal back control of the game. They keep a high-line, so it's a chance for Potter to utilise some of his speedier attacking players to try and catch them out.
Chelsea like to play it out from the back with short passes leading them up the pitch, but Dortmund will want their opponents to play in such a manner so they can attempt to catch the Blues out. Another interesting characteristic of Dortmund's is their eagerness to play down the right-hand side when attacking.
Whether it's Karim Adeyemi or Giovanni Reyna on the right wing, Dortmund like to utilise the flank. Jude Bellingham, perhaps Dortmund's star player, gets involved from the right of central midfield and Thomas Meunier, too, from right-back.
Terzic will have a lot of homework to do on Chelsea before their first-leg on 15th February. Ben Chilwell, who picked up a serious hamstring injury in last week's Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb, is expected to miss the tie, so Marc Cucurella may be the man on the left-hand side of the defence for the Blues.
Cucurella has had a mixed start to his Chelsea career. The 24-year-old defender was signed from Brighton in the summer for around £60million and has failed to live up to his price tag so far. He started well with some solid performances away at Everton and at home to Tottenham, but it has been difficult for the Spaniard in recent weeks.
The former Brighton man was strongly criticised for his role in Gabriel Magalhaes' only goal of the game as Chelsea lost to Arsenal on Sunday afternoon. Cucurella was static in the box before Gabriel ended up tapping the ball home at Stamford Bridge.
There's no doubting Cucurella's talent and ability – he showed that last season under Potter at Brighton on a regular basis. The Chelsea head coach needs to try and get the best out of Cucurella before the Dortmund clash, or the German outfit could really take advantage of that right-hand side of attack.
Dortmund have a number of attacking options that can hurt Chelsea. Julian Brandt is a dangerous player who is often used in the number 10 role. Youssoufa Moukoko, who is just 17 years old, has been in superb form for the Germans this season. He already has six goals and four assists to his name in the league.
Chelsea supporters will be pleased with the draw. First of all, playing a side for the first time ever is always a nice feeling, but it also represents a good chance to reach the last eight of the competition. However, Dortmund can be very dangerous, and Potter will know how much preparation needs to be done beforehand.
Pep Guardiola, who saw his Man City side win and draw against Dortmund in the group stage, knows just how good the German side are. Asked why Dortmund are a tough team, Guardiola replied: "Because they are good.
"For the fact we are Man City, we don't have it easy, it's a tough opening. I know in top games against Bayern Munich, they play at a top level. We have a lot of respect for them."
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