Middlesbrough vs Chelsea Prediction 09.01.2024

• Competition: England &— EFL Cup
• Date: Tuesday, 9th, January 2024
• Kickoff: 20:00 UK / 21.00 CET
• Venue: Riverside Stadium (Middlesbrough)

Chelsea will visit Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday for the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final, aiming to secure a place in the final. Middlesbrough, currently in the Championship, will be the hosts.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea Betting Tips: Chelsea to Win

Despite staunchly protecting their goal, Boro’s aspirations to shock the Premier League title challenger were crushed in the final moments of the game. They suffered a defeat in the 87th minute against Aston Villa, marking the end of their involvement in England’s oldest football competition.

Given the complete ineffectiveness of the men in red in the last third of the field, where they only managed a single shot on target, it wasn’t surprising they were defeated and knocked out of the FA Cup. However, this may be causing some worry for manager Michael Carrick, as it marks his team’s third loss in their last four competitive matches.

Middlesbrough’s return to Riverside Stadium for the midweek clash doesn’t inspire much optimism, given their recent track record. They’ve lost four of their last five home games, much to the disappointment of their devoted fans. Two of these losses happened in 2024, including a humiliating 0-3 defeat to Coventry on New Year’s Day.

Boro will compete against Chelsea for a place in the EFL Cup final. Chelsea began 2024 impressively by scoring four goals against Preston (4-0) and moving onto the fourth round of the FA Cup. The goals were scored by Armando Broja, Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling, and Enzo Fernandez.

Under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino, the Blues have recently been displaying their full potential. Their impressive four-goal victory against a Championship team marked their fifth win in the last six competitive matches. Now, they are striving to achieve four consecutive victories for the first time since October 2022.

Aside from their superior form and quality, the Premier League team, Chelsea, has a clear upper hand in direct encounters against Middlesbrough. They have an impressive run of nine consecutive wins against them. The most recent victory was a comfortable 2-0 win at the FA Cup on March 19, 2022.

Just three days after a grueling showdown against Birmingham Lions, it’s clear that Boro’s players will be feeling the fatigue and as such, we feel that at this point &— especially with them missing several key pieces &— they cannot prevent in-form Chelsea from gaining a robust advantage already in the first leg of the semi-final.