Carabao Cup semi-final preview: Middlesbrough vs Chelsea
Boro will look to shake off their recent form as they host Chelsea at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday night in the first leg of their semi-final tie.
Michael Carrick’s side have lost two of their last three Championship games and were also beaten on Saturday – even if they were a tad unlucky not to earn a replay against Aston Villa in that match.
Can Boro make the most of home advantage?
The game was goalless until the 87th minute, when Matty Cash’s shot took a deflection to break the deadlock – and steer the Villans to the fourth round.
With just one team standing between Middlesbrough and a trip to Wembley, maybe Boro’s focus was always on this game. But Chelsea may be similarly intent on putting in a good performance, to lend their season some meaning.
And while the West London side have struggled for consistency, they have won their last three games in all competitions.
Over two legs, the chances of Carrick’s team outmuscling the west London club seem optimistic. But can Boro at least make the most of home advantage to give themselves a fighting chance this week?
This match may look like just the kind of banana skin to which Chelsea might prove susceptible. But the statistics won’t fill Boro fans with confidence. In the last nine meetings between the two sides, Chelsea have won each match; the scoreline is 21-0.
The two clubs have met quite recently too, with Chelsea winning 2-0 in an FA Cup encounter at the Riverside back in March 2022; the west London club would progress to the final in that campaign, losing to Liverpool on penalties.
Morgan Rogers will be a big miss
In the here and now, Chelsea eased to a 4-0 win over Preston at the weekend in the FA Cup. Still, Boro’s dogged defensive performance against Villa at the weekend will give the locals hope of frustrating Chelsea.
That said, Morgan Rogers will be a big miss for the hosts; he has four goals and three assists in the Carabao Cup in this campaign, but is suspended for this match after picking up two yellow cards in five Cup games.
Perhaps Matt Crooks can shine in Rogers’ absence; the midfielder has scored twice in this competition so far in this campaign.
Crooks is 24/5 to find the net at any time. You could also take a chance on Boro, on the basis that Villa found it tough to break down the side at the weekend. Middlesbrough or the draw in the double chance market is a 6/4 shot – that’s not an unthinkable result, given Chelsea’s lapses this season.
Alternatively, you could really go for it and back the hosts for a 1-0 win at 16/1. If Boro are to score a memorable win over this opposition, it’s likely to be pretty tight…
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