Middlesbrough and Chelsea will soon return to knockout action on Tuesday when the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final takes place at Riverside Stadium. This comes after the teams’ differing outcomes in their FA Cup third-round matches.
In a thrilling penalty shootout, the Blues defeated Newcastle United to go to the last four, and in the quarterfinals, Michael Carrick’s team routed Port Vale.
When is the Match between Middlesbrough and Chelsea ?
The match will take place at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, England on Tuesday (9 January 2024).
Kick Off Time
The match between Chelsea and Middlesbrough will start 8:00 PM UTC, 4:00 PM ET, 1:30 AM IST, 1:00 PM PT, 9:00 PM BST.
Team News & Predicted Lineups
Middlesbrough
While single yellow cards are eliminated following the quarterfinals, Morgan Rogers, an attacker for Middlesbrough, received his second booking of the EFL Cup during the team’s victory against Port Vale. As a result, he will miss one game during Tuesday’s first leg of the match.
Finn Azaz and Sam Greenwood, who played for Plymouth Argyle and Leeds United earlier in the tournament, are cup-tied, so their absences will further deplete Carrick’s reserves. Meanwhile, Australians Samuel Silvera and Riley McGree, along with Senegal goalkeeper Seny Dieng, are away on international duty.
Over the weekend, no new injury worries surfaced; nevertheless, Tom Smith (Achilles), Darragh Lenihan (Achilles), Lewis O’Brien (ankle), Marcus Forss (thigh), and Patrick McNair (back) are still out of action.
Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Glover; Van den Berg, Clarke, Fry, Bangura; Howson, Barlaser; Jones, Crooks, Latte Lath; Coburn
Chelsea
The manager of Chelsea, Pochettino, is having to deal with his own never-ending injury problem once more. This problem is made worse by Nicolas Jackson’s AFCON call-up and a fresh hip injury sustained by Christopher Nkunku, who was left out of the starting lineup for the team’s victory over Preston last weekend.
Ben Chilwell (hamstring), Wesley Fofana (knee), Marc Cucurella (ankle), Robert Sanchez (knee), Lesley Ugochukwu (hamstring), Trevoh Chalobah (thigh), and Romeo Lavia (thigh) are undoubtedly out, but Nkunku may still be declared fit for the first leg given that Ben Chilwell (hamstring), Carney Chukwuemeka (knee), and Benoit Badiashile (unspecified) are in the same boat.
As he played for Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup while on loan, the recently-recalled Andrey Santos is likewise ineligible. Ian Maatsen’s participation is also in doubt due to rumors that he has verbally agreed to go on loan to Borussia Dortmund.
Predicted Lineup (4-3-3): Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Silva, Colwill; Gallagher, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Sterling; Broja
Chelsea vs Middlesbrough Head-to-Head and Results
Chelsea and Middlesbrough have faced each other a total of 20 times. Chelsea have historically been the dominant side in this fixture, winning 15 games against their opponents. Middlesbrough have managed just two victories and will want to make a statement with a victory this weekend.