The first of this weekend’s FA Cup quarter-finals sees Championship side Middlesbrough host Chelsea at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday.
Middlesbrough have never won the FA Cup. Funnily enough, their sole final appearances ended in defeat to Chelsea back in 1997.
Whip on that 💫@balogun #UTB— Middlesbrough FC (@Boro) March 17, 2022
Whip on that 💫@balogun #UTB
The Blues, on the other hand, have lifted the trophy eight times. Only Arsenal and Manchester United have won the competition on more occasions.
Middlesbrough head into Saturday’s clash on the back of a 2-0 victory over Birmingham City. As a result, they find themselves seventh in the Championship.
Having registered 17 wins, eight draws and 12 losses in the league, they remain in the hunt for promotion to the Premier League.
Across all competitions, Middlesbrough have lost just one of their previous five encounters – picking up three wins along the way.
They have already claimed two Premier League scalps en route to the quarter-finals, seeing off Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
As for Chelsea, they claimed a last-gasp victory over Newcastle United last weekend – with Kai Havertz scoring the only goal of the game on 89 minutes.
Thanks to Wednesday’s Champions League win over Lille, the Blues have won each of their last five games across all competitions and have lost just one of their previous 13.
It is also worth noting that Chelsea are currently enjoying a five-match winning streak in the Premier League. They have also lost just one of their past 13 league clashes.
Thomas Tuchel’s men kicked off their FA Cup campaign with a 5-1 thrashing of Chesterfield before beating Plymouth Argyle. In the previous round, they beat Luton Town 3-2.
Head-to-head: Chelsea have won each of their previous eight meetings with Middlesbrough across all competitions, keeping eight clean sheets in the process.
When you look at the bigger picture, Middlesbrough have only managed to win two of their last 21 matches against the Blues.
Team news: Given that Middlesbrough have no fresh injury concerns, manager Chris Wilder has a full-strength squad to choose from.
On the flip side, Ben Chilwell is Chelsea’s only long-term absentee. Meanwhile, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James are both doubts.
Although Middlesbrough are enjoying a promising season, Chelsea should be too strong for the Championship outfit.
Forebet predicts that Chelsea will keep a clean sheet on their way to booking their place in the semi-finals.