Chelsea vs Middlesbrough Preview

Chelsea will look to book their place in the EFL Cup final when they welcome Middlesbrough to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

The Blues, despite their struggles in the Premier League, have fared well in this competition, reaching the semifinals by beating Newcastle in the last round. However, they are on the verge of exiting this round after losing the first leg in Middlesbrough (1-0 loss).

That loss came despite Chelsea holding over 70% ball possession and having 17 shots (five on target) in the game. Chelsea lost not for a lack of effort, but because of profligacy and a lack of defencive solidity which has been Chelsea’s major problem this season especially away from home. Mauricio Pochettino’s side have won just once in their last six travels, losing five times and keeping no clean sheets.

At home they are a different outfit having lost just once in their last eleven home games in all competitions. Seven of those meetings ended in a win for the Blues while they also kept five clean sheets in that period, the most recent which came in Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Fulham in their last league outing.

Therefore, they will now look to make it three clean sheets in a row at home when they host Middlesbrough while hoping that their strikers can take their chances this time.

Meanwhile, Middlesbrough will look to reach the League Cup final for the fourth time in their history when they go to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. The visitors come into this tie with a slender one-goal advantage thanks to Hayden Hackney’s 37th-minute goal at the Riverside Stadium.

Michael Carrick’s side travel in decent form having not lost any of their last three games in all competitions (W2, D1). They also have been particularly strong on their road trips recently having won four out of their last five away games (L1). And so they will fancy their chances of getting a result here.

The visitors have also enjoyed previous success in the League Cup winning the competition in 2004, beating London sides Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively before overcoming Bolton Wanderers in the final so they have history at this stage of the tournament.