England and Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham has warned his team-mates to be on their game when they head to Chelsea next month.
Bellingham's Dortmund beat Chelsea 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie thanks to a goal from Karim Adeyemi. Dortmund are in pole position to knock the Blues out of European competition and will do so simply by keeping another clean sheet in the return leg at Stamford Bridge on March 7.
Chelsea's star-studded team could not find a way past Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park, though they came ever-so-close through Joao Felix who hit the underside of the crossbar and was unfortunate not to score. Bellingham, who knows Chelsea players Reece James and Mason Mount through his time on England duty, has told his team-mates to prepare for a backlash against their hosts in three weeks' time.
"It felt good," Bellingham said of Dortmund's win after the game. "It's a small win in comparison to what we have to face in a few weeks' time.
"We have to go to Stamford Bridge and get another positive result, but we can be really pleased with how we played and how we defended in the second half but we need to understand it's not over and they can definitely come back with a lot of power." Chelsea boss Graham Potter felt as though luck was not on his side at Dortmund, praising his players' attacking quality having gone close on plenty of occasions.
"It was a very strong performance, especially the second half," he said. "We created a lot of chances and efforts on goal but I am disappointed with the goal we conceded.
"I thought we were the dominant team in the second half. It is half-time in the tie, we have to regroup."
READ NEXT:
Josh Kroenke takes key step after Arsenal defeat to Man City in Premier League title blow
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly loved what Borussia Dortmund did at Champions League game
Thierry Henry fires demand to Arsenal after huge Man City loss
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta sent clear demand after Kevin De Bruyne clash in Man City loss
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly 'meets' PSG chief for stunning transfer talks
