Middlesbrough currently sit tenth in the Championship table after a solid first half of the season. The Teeside club have accrued thirty-nine points from twenty-seven games played and they’ve been just as impressive on the road compared to their form at the Riverside. In front of their own fans, there have been fourteen goals scored compared to the twenty-seven on the road.
It's likely that Michael Carrick’s side will have to score at Stamford Bridge in order to reach the EFL Cup final despite holding a one-goal advantage. They do have their noses in front at the halfway stage of the tie after claiming that 1-0 win over the expensively-assembled London outfit, with Hayden Hackney having fired the only goal of the game.
It should be noted that Chelsea had over 70% of possession in that game although they failed to fashion many scoring chances. It’s unlikely that they’ll be kept at bay by their Championship opponents and the Blues previously came through against Newcastle United in the previous round, with the bookies making them heavy favourites to reach the final.
Chelsea will be aiming to score an early goal and there’s a chance that this will be a routine victory, with a 3-0 winning scoreline available to back at 15/2, with some punters potentially combining this with a 4-0 win at even bigger odds. There are lots of different angles that can be taken and check out Cole Palmer’s anytime scorer prices for the Blues’ penalty taker.