Chelsea vs Dortmund kick-off DELAYED as visitors’ coach is late with fans made to wait for huge Champions League clash
CHELSEA’s Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund has been DELAYED following the late arrival of the German giants.
The west Londoners welcome the Bundesliga big boys to Stamford Bridge tonight for the second leg of their last 16-tie.
Borussia Dortmund’s team bus was late arriving at Stamford BridgeGETTY
REUTERSThe delay was in part caused by congestion due to thousands of fans taking to the streets[/caption]
REUTERSDortmund were initially held off by a police cordon[/caption]
But they’ll end up having more preparation time for the match as the Dortmund team bus was late arriving to the Bridge.
The bus turned up nearly 30 minutes late due to major congestion around Stamford Bridge, which was in part caused by thousands of fans of both teams walking through the streets of west London.
The late arrival means Dortmund will have less than an hour to prepare for the second leg of the tie – which has been delayed by ten minutes.
Manager Edin Terezic said of his side’s later arrival: “We had a bit of a delay but we are here and ready to fight for the next round.
” We didn’t know if we would start on time or if there will be a delay to kick off, it is disturbing a lot.”
Thousands of loyal Dortmund fans descended on London for tonight’s match.
And they were made to wait in a police cordon before entering the stadium.
According to reports, there were a “few skirmishes” – but there have been no major incidents.
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Bundesliga big boys Dortmund ran out 1-0 winners in the first leg of the tie last month thanks to a superb solo goal from Karim Adeyemi.
Under-pressure Blues boss Graham Potter said: “We have to play welll, be positive.
“It’s a special occasion for us to try to get into the last eight of the Champions League.
“We’ve had some games where we could’ve scored more than one and we need that performance tomorrow night.
“We’re playing against a top team, a team that is in a good place with the wins they’ve had.
“The boys are in a good place and are motivated. We want to give it our best.”
He added: “I agree it’s a big game, an exciting game, a chance to go through to the last eight of the Champions League.
“It’ll be a special night. Our thoughts are on being positive and trying to win the game.”