Graham Potter is relishing the return of Chelsea’s European campaign as the west Londoners face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League’s last 16 this week.
Chelsea travel to face Dortmund in the first leg of their knockout round tie on Wednesday, in what will be the club’s first ever meeting with the Bundesliga side.
The fixture will also represent Potter’s first experience in the Champions League’s latter rounds and the 47-year-old is excited about his squad taking on Europe’s best.
Potter believes his squad have the talent and experience to go deep into the tournament despite a disappointing domestic season so far, but insists Chelsea are not looking past Dortmund, who are three points off leaders Bayern Munich in Germany.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for us,” he told the club’s official website.
“We have to see it that way. It’s a tough match against a high-quality opponent, but at the same time many of our team have won the Champions League, they’ve experienced it. They will want to fight for the game that’s for sure. That’s exciting for us.
“In knockout competition anything can happen. It’s two games. It’s not valuable for us to look too far past Dortmund. We have the capability to beat Dortmund, but they’re also a strong side with a capability of getting a result in Europe as well. We have to understand that, and go to Dortmund with excitement, with humility, with respect, and try and get the result.
“The players are confident, they’re hard-working, they believe in themselves, but they also know it’s a game of football you have to earn the right to win. We will go there with that approach.”
