Middlesbrough hosts Chelsea in the FA Cup quarterfinals. The match will be played on Saturday, March 19th at Riverside Stadium (Middlesbrough)
Middlesbrough started their performance in the FA Cup from the 3rd round. In the previous stages, Chris Wilder's team coped with Mansfield Town (3-2), Manchester United (1-1 and 8-7 on penalties), and Tottenham (1-0 after ET). Along with Nottingham Forest, the Reds remain the last representatives of the Championship in the tournament. Generally, Middlesbrough is one of the main sensations of the current draw. The ability to play defense first helped Wilder's team in both matches against the grandees of English football. Plus, the Reds are fighting for promotion to the Premier League. They are quite strong at home but rarely succeed away. A 2-0 away victory over Birmingham on 15 March ended Boro's 6-match away winless streak in the Championship.
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Chelsea also started their performance in the tournament from the 3rd round. Thomas Tuchel's team eliminated Chesterfield (5-1), Plymouth Argyle (1-1 and 8-7 on penalties), and Luton Town (3-2). Despite the difficult situation with the team’s owner Roman Abramovich, the Pensioners are showing excellent results. They have beaten all their opponents in four matches in all tournaments since the beginning of March. Stable results help Chelsea to stay in the top three in the Premier League standings and fight in the Champions League playoffs.
Chelsea can boast of an 8-game winning streak against Middlesbrough in the Premier League and FA Cup. In addition, the Blues won four previous matches at Riverside Stadium. The Reds gained their last home victory over Chelsea in August 2006 (2-1). Now the hosts do not look like favorites against the background of the Londoners. At the same time, Middlesbrough can create problems for Tuchel's team due to the native stands and greater freshness. The Reds got an extra day off compared to Chelsea. The Pensioners who had an away match against French Lille in the midweek risk going to Middlesbrough by bus and spending five hours on the road one way. Thus, the guests from the capital of England will look more tired against the backdrop of Middlesbrough. The Reds have scored in ten previous home Championship games in a row. Since the start of this season, only two teams have kept a clean sheet in regulation time in Middlesbrough: Birmingham (0-2) and Tottenham in the FA Cup (1-0 after ET). Therefore, we are likely to see a goal from the home team.
Prediction for the match: Middlesbrough to score over 0.5 goals
