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Middlesbrough will welcome Chelsea to the Riverside Stadium in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Tuesday.
The hosts booked their place in the semi-finals of the competition with a comfortable 3-0 win over Port Vale, with Jonny Howson and Morgan Rogers scoring in the first half and Matt Crooks adding the third goal in the second half.
They have seen a drop in form recently, with just one win in their last four games, suffering three defeats. They met Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, suffering a 1-0 home loss.
The visitors, meanwhile, have been in good touch recently, recording three wins on the trot. They hosted Preston North End in the FA Cup third round in their first match of the year on Saturday. A second-half resurgence helped them register a comfortable 4-0 win, with Armando Broja, Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling, and Enzo Fernández scoring within 27 minutes.
Middlesbrough vs Chelsea Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have crossed paths 117 times across all competitions thus far since 1907. As expected, the visitors have been the better side in these meetings with 57 wins. The hosts have 31 wins in this fixture and 29 games have ended in stalemates.
- The visitors have won their last nine meetings against the hosts while keeping clean sheets in these wins as well.
- They have met three times in the Carabao Cup, with two wins for Chelsea and one game going the hosts' way.
- Middlesbrough have suffered four defeats in their last five home games in all competitions and the Blues have lost four of their last five away games in all competitions.
- The hosts have suffered five consecutive losses at home against the visitors and have failed to find the back of the net in these games as well.
Middlesbrough vs Chelsea Prediction
Boro have suffered defeats in their two games in 2024 thus far, scoring just one goal while conceding four times in these games. They have endured a poor run of form at home recently, with just one win in five outings. They have scored three goals in that period while shipping in eight goals.
They have just two wins across all competitions against the capital club since 2001, which is a cause for concern. Head coach Michael Carrick will be without the services of Lewis O'Brien, Darragh Lenihan, Tommy Smith, Anfernee Dijksteel, Marcus Forss, and Paddy McNair through injuries. Riley McGree, Sammy Silvera, and Seny Dieng are on international duty.
The Blues have won five of their last six games in all competitions and registered their biggest win of the season on Saturday. They will look to continue their goalscoring form here.
Mauricio Pochettino has a lengthy absentee list and Christopher Nkunku is unlikely to start here after being left out of the squad in the FA Cup with a fresh hip injury he picked up in training. Benoit Badiashile is also unlikely to start with a knock.
Considering the current form of the two teams and the Blues' dominance in this fixture, we back them to record a comfortable win and the odds of a clean sheet also look good.
Prediction: Middlesbrough 0-3 Chelsea
Middlesbrough vs Chelsea Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Chelsea to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Raheem Sterling to score or assist any time - Yes
