Chelsea continue their quest for their first piece of silverware under Mauricio Pochettino when they take on Middlesbrough on Tuesday.
The Championship club will host the first leg of the EFL Cup semifinals, in which the visitors are the heavy favorites. Chelsea aim to reach the final for the first time since the 2021-22 season, when they went on to lose to Liverpool, but will have to get past a Middlesbrough team might be riding the high of a deep cup run despite sitting 12th in the second tier.
Here's what you need to know before tuning in.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Tuesday, Jan. 9 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Riverside Stadium -- Middlesbrough, England
- Live stream: ESPN+,
- Odds: Middlesbrough +500; Draw +350; Chelsea -188
Storylines
Chelsea's season has been far from consistent, but the team has been picking up results despite less-than-ideal performances. They are on a three-match winning streak, their most recent being a lopsided 4-0 victory over Preston North End in the FA Cup third round on Saturday. In their other two wins over the festive period -- a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace and a 3-2 win over Luton Town -- Chelsea were outshot and kept the scoreline tighter than it needed to be, showing room for improvement.
The good news for Chelsea is that they have goals in them, and have gone six straight games in which they scored at least one goal. Cole Palmer, the team's breakout star so far this season, has scored three times during that stretch, while Mykhailo Mudryk has two goals in that span.
Prediction
Despite Chelsea's weaknesses, it's hard to see them not coming out on top in this fixture. Regardless of whether or not Pochettino opts to rotate, it should be fairly smooth sailing for the Blues. Pick: Middlesbrough 0, Chelsea 2
