Chelsea vs Middlesbrough Prediction (23.01.2024)

Just one game remains for Chelsea and Middlesbrough, and their chances to make Wembley for the final of the first piece of silverware this season, the EFL Cup. Leg one is in the book, with Middlesbrough winning that game 1-0 at home, so now attention turns to Stamford Bridge for game two. Can the Premier League outfit win the game and get to Wembley, or will Boro pull off a huge shock and make the cup final from the second tier of English football?

Chelsea look as though they may have turned a little corner, but much of that can be down to the opposition they've faced. They have won four of their last five games, their only loss being the first leg of this tie, but those games have been at home to Fulham, Preston and Crystal Palace, and away to Luton, all four very much winnable ties for a club of Chelsea's stature.

But they couldn't get the job done in the first leg, against a resilient Boro team who held themselves well against higher league opposition. Of course, Chelsea do now have home advantage for this tie, but at the same time, I wonder how much that will help, given the fact that if they don't score early, fans are surely going to be on their backs, as they're losing a tie against a team that is a division below them.

This game stands between Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough and the EFL Cup final at Wembley, and they don't even need to win it. A draw would see them through, after winning the first game at home, and the pressure is firmly all on Chelsea, no one really expects Middlesbrough to do this, do they?

Since the first leg they've played twice, a good away win at Millwall and a home draw with Rotherham on Saturday, though that's forgiven as they would have no doubt had their focus on this game.

I think we may see a big upset here. I am not going for Boro to win this, but I think there is great value in backing the draw in this contest. Chelsea are not at their best, haven't been all season, and will have a lot of pressure on them if they don't score early, so I am going to take a draw here, and Boro to make the final at Wembley.