EFL Cup: Middlesbrough vs Chelsea Semifinal Odds
First Leg on Tuesday
Chelsea Within Reach of First Final Under Pochettino
While their league position certainly doesn’t suggest it, there has been progress for Chelsea under Mauricio Pochettino this season. The Blues may be in 10th place in the Premier League but they’ve advanced to the EFL Cup Semifinal and won 4-0 in the FA Cup third round on Saturday. For Tuesday’s EFL Cup Semifinal first leg, Chelsea head on the road to EFL Championship side Middlesbrough. We’ll check out the Middlesbrough vs Chelsea Semifinal odds as Boro face EPL opposition in the EFL Cup for the first time this campaign.
Middlesbrough vs Chelsea
Date, time:
Location: Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, England
Streaming: Live Sports Stream
Head-to-Head
In the last ten years, Chelsea and Middlesbrough have only met three times. In the 2022 FA Cup Quarter-finals, Chelsea took down Boro 2-0 at Riverside Stadium. On the 2016-17 Premier League Schedule, Chelsea also managed to pick up two shutout wins in this fixture. Overall, Chelsea are on a nine-game winning streak vs. Middlesbrough and didn’t concede in any of those games. Boro last defeated Chelsea in 2006.
Middlesbrough Facing Stiff Competition on Tuesday
Middlesbrough took on Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round on Saturday. Visitors Aston Villa created the bulk of the chances in the match but couldn’t find a breakthrough in the first half. Matty Cash’s deflected shot ended up going past Boro keeper Tom Glover in the 87th minute for the game’s only goal. Glover isn’t typically Middlesbrough’s number one keeper, as Seny Dieng is away on international duty with Senegal and will miss this match. Along with Dieng, Australians Riley McGree and Sam Silvera are at the AFC Asian Cup.
McGree has managed four goal contributions in the EFL Cup so far, while Silvera’s seven shots on target are a competition high. To get to this stage Middlesbrough have taken down Huddersfield, Bolton, Bradford City, Exeter City and Port Vale. Boro have scored three goals in four of their five EFL Cup matches but Chelsea will represent a big step up in competition. Four of the five teams Middlesbrough have played are in the third tier of English football or below.
Notably, Boro youngster Morgan Rogers leads the EFL Cup stats with four goals and six goal contributions. He was on the scoresheet in the 3-0 Quarter-finals win over Port Vale and has scored in four straight EFL Cup games. Middlesbrough are currently in 12th place in the EFL Championship, with an 11-3-12 record. The Middlesbrough vs Chelsea Semifinal odds currently list Boro as +470 underdogs.
Chelsea Hitting Their Stride
It was all smiles for Chelsea on Saturday as they defeated Preston North End 4-0 in the FA Cup third round at Stamford Bridge. Armando Broja opened up the scoring on a second half header, which opened up the floodgates. Thiago Silva headed in a corner in the 66th minute and Raheem Sterling scored a free kick just a few minutes later. Enzo Fernandez made it four in the last few minutes of the match and Chelsea won their third straight match, in all competitions.
Chelsea’s route in the EFL Cup so far has been quite difficult. After defeating AFC Wimbledon in the second round they’ve faced Brighton, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle. In four EFL Cup games, Chelsea have conceded just twice and have been a solid pick for soccer betting in the competition. In the Quarter-finals, vs. Newcastle, Mykhailo Mudryk scored a stoppage time equalizer and the Blues advanced in a penalty shootout.
Pochettino’s Chelsea have already defeated two Premier League teams taking part in European competition this season and will think they can go on and win the whole thing. Chelsea currently show +150 EFL Cup outright odds. Chelsea cannot afford to take Middlesbrough lightly and the Blues have a bunch of players out. Striker Nicolas Jackson is at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Romeo Lavia, Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez, Reece James, Christopher Nkunku, Ben Chilwell, Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana are out injured.
Match Analysis & Odds
Middlesbrough are playing in front of their home fans in a massive match for the club. They may not see Premier League football any time soon but this is a chance to get to a major final. With a match on the cards at Stamford Bridge in a few weeks, Middlesbrough need to get a result here to have a chance to advance. Currently, the Middlesbrough vs Chelsea Semifinal odds price the hosts as one-goal underdogs. Middlesbrough +1 and Chelsea -1 both come in at -115 odds.
Chelsea handily defeated EFL Championship opposition on Saturday and they’re -170 favorites for this one. Cole Palmer has come into his own since joining Chelsea from Man City and expect the attacking midfielder/winger to play a key role here. With Jackson and Nkunku both out, Broja could get another chance up front. As Middlesbrough look to end Chelsea’s three-game winning streak, the hosts are +470 underdogs.
Middlesbrough certainly couldn’t complain about a draw and one shows +310 odds here. Going back to Stamford Bridge for the second leg, a deadlock wouldn’t be the end of the world for Chelsea either. Under three goals display -125 odds for this one as Middlesbrough will look to contain a Chelsea offense that’s been firing on all cylinders lately. The Blues have scored nine goals in their last three heading into this one.
