Chelsea v Borussia Dortmund: Back fabulous Frenchman to find the net

• Chelsea looking bright under Pochettino

• BVB rebuilding after title race disaster

• Nkunku scoring freely in pre-season

Chelsea v Borussia Dortmund
Thursday 03 August, 01:30
Live on Viaplay

This friendly in Chicago brings together two clubs who have assembled lots of young talent, and two sides who are aiming to bounce back after a season of heartbreak.

Chelsea's ignominious mid-table Premier League finish came against a backdrop of managerial instability and wild spending in the transfer market, but the club's American owners now hope their acquisitions will benefit new coach Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentinean is excellent at developing young talent, and does seem like a great fit for what the Blues are trying to do.

The arrival of RB Leipzig's French international forward Christopher Nkunku might be the most significant. He was Bundesliga Player of the Season two seasons ago, and last term he was the league's joint top scorer, despite missing a chunk of the campaign with the injury that cost him his World Cup dream.

Nkunku has scored in three of his four friendly appearances, and has looked typically lively. A potentially exciting link-up with fellow summer recruit Nicolas Jackson is in the offing.

Borussia Dortmund are trying to pick themselves up off the canvas after they completely blew their golden opportunity to win the Bundesliga title. They needed to win their final game of the season at home to Mainz, and yet they were held to a draw by an out-of-form mid-table side that had nothing but pride to play for.

Dortmund have lost star midfielder Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid, and their only notable expenditure to date has been the signings of Wolfsburg's Felix Nmecha and Bayern's Marcel Sabitzer. It remains to be seen whether BVB will make further signings, as their rivals Bayern look to strengthen with the capture of England captain Harry Kane.

My recommendation here is to back Nkunku to score at 6/4 on the Sportsbook. He's been in super form since he returned from injury, and he's slotted straight into the Chelsea side. He's been involved in five goals in six league meetings with Dortmund down the years, and I see no reason why he can't strike here.