Middlesbrough vs Chelsea: The FA Cup is now in the quarterfinals, although there are some huge games this weekend, including Chelsea’s match against Middlesbrough, Manchester City’s trip to Southampton, and Nottingham Forest’s attempt to pull off a dramatic upset against Liverpool. Everton will play Crystal Palace on Sunday to round off the schedule.
Here’s how to watch the games and what you should know:
Chelsea vs Middlesbrough
- Date: Saturday, Mar. 19 | Time: 1:15 p.m. ET
- Location: Riverside Stadium — Middlesbrough, England
- TV/Live stream: ESPN+ or DSTV
- Odds: Middlesbrough +550; Draw +320; Chelsea -200 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Chelsea will play Middlesbrough without fans after a bizarre scenario arose when Russian sanctions made it impossible for the European champions to sell tickets to their games.
Boro has already defeated Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur on their way here and will be confident of pushing the Blues in front of a home crowd.
FA Cup: Chelsea vs Middlesbrough team news
For the win against Birmingham, Middlesbrough welcomed back Anfernee Dijksteel, while Andraz Sporar and James Lea Siliki are both expected to return from sickness.
Despite the absences of Riley McGree and Martin Payero, Wilder is expected to field a familiar-looking 3-5-2 lineup with Balogun and Connolly at the attack’s core.
Dijksteel should be fit enough to play in the backline with Paddy McNair and Dael Fry, with Neil Taylor aiming to beat Marc Bola to the left.
Andreas Christensen was pulled after 33 minutes against Lille owing to a potential muscle injury, and the Danish midfielder is unlikely to be risked in the quarter-final.
Tuchel will have to make late decisions on Reece James and Callum Hudson-participation Odoi’s as Ben Chilwell continues his tough road to recovery. Ross Barkley and Saul Niguez were both unable to go to Lille, with the former recently admitting that he had tested positive for COVID-19.
Tuchel should explore recalls for Romelu Lukaku, Trevoh Chalobah, and Mason Mount this weekend as a result of the hard flight home and fast turnaround.
Possible team lineup
Middlesbrough’s possible starting lineup:
Lumley; Dijksteel, Fry, McNair; Jones, Tavernier, Howson, Crooks, Taylor; Balogun, Connolly
Chelsea’s possible starting lineup:
Kepa; Chalobah, Rudiger, Sarr; Ziyech, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Mount, Werner; Lukaku
Match Prediction
We say: Middlesbrough 0-2 Chelsea
Middlesbrough will see no reason why they can’t add Chelsea to their FA Cup tally, but a tired Blues team still has the defensive nous to keep an inexperienced Boro attack at distance.
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Tuchel’s team has struggled against lower-league opponents in this season’s competition, but a new set of attacking options will be hopeful of breaching Boro’s resistance as the hosts’ FA Cup trip comes to an end in front of their own supporters.
Head to Head
8 May 2017 – Chelsea 3-0 Middlesbrough – Premier League
20 November 2016 – Middlesbrough 0-1 Chelsea – Premier League
27 February 2013 – Middlesbrough 0-2 Chelsea – FA Cup
28 January 2009 – Chelsea 2-0 Middlesbrough – Premier League
18 October 2008 – Middlesbrough 0-5 Chelsea – Premier League
Chelsea is now undefeated in all competitions against Middlesbrough, including a 2-0 FA Cup fifth-round victory in 2012/13. Middlesbrough last won this match in 2006, when they won back-to-back Premier League matches against Chelsea en way to capturing the title and then as defending champions.
