Chelsea are back in FA Cup action today when they face Championship side Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium in the quarter-finals. Thomas Tuchel will be hoping his side can do all they can on the pitch, despite distractions over the future of the club off it.
After sanctions were placed on owner Roman Abramovich by the UK Government, the Blues were given a special licence to operate under, impacting their usual day-to-day business. This included matters such as the cost of travelling away, however Tuchel did confirm that arrangements have been made to travel by plane to Teesside.
The development was something that pleased the German coach, who claimed it would help with recovery for some of his players: “So it's organised that we can travel by plane, which is very, very good because as you know, we had the last match [versus Lille] with only two days in between to rest, and it's very important to minimise the time of travel and maximise the time for recovery to reduce the risk of injury.”
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In Middlesbrough they face stern opposition though, with the Championship side showing they are capable of more than just hanging in against the big guns. Boro have already knocked out Tottenham and Manchester United to reach this stage, knowing a win over the Blues would book a place in the final four.
As for the west London outfit, they will be hoping it is third time lucky in the FA Cup this season. Chelsea have reached the final in the past two seasons, but lost both times at Wembley to Arsenal and then Leicester City.
Tuchel will be hoping to change that, but first they must get past Middlesbrough. With all that said, here’s a look at how the pundits predict the game.
Paul Merson - Sportskeeda
Former Arsenal forward Paul Merson believes that Chelsea have enough to cause problems in both the FA Cup and the Champions League for the remainder of the season, due to their lack of involvement in the title race or top four challenge. It means that Merson believes the Blues will beat Middlesbrough when they meet.
He said, writing for Sportskeeda : “I'd be shocked if Chelsea don't win this. Boro will make it hard for them like they did against Tottenham, but the Blues are spoilt for choice as their squad is so, so big. I told everybody about Kai Havertz earlier this season - what a player he's turning out to be!”
Score prediction: Middlesbrough 1-3 Chelsea
Mark Lawrenson - BBC Sport
The BBC pundit believes that things at Chelsea aren’t quite as “dramatic” as they could turn out to be, with results yet to be impacted by the ongoing ownership issue. Lawrenson believes for that reason, they’ll just edge past Middlesbrough.
He said: “I fancy Tuchel's team to get through this tie, although it won't be easy. Middlesbrough have had a brilliant time in the FA Cup so far, beating Manchester United and then Tottenham - but their run ends here.”
Score prediction: Middlesbrough 1-2 Chelsea
Michael Owen - BetVictor
Former Manchester United and Liverpool striker Michael Owen has also backed the Blues to progress into the next round of the FA Cup. He believes that Chelsea are just a step too far for the Boro, with a strong reputation in cup competitions.
Owen said in his piece for BetVictor : “I’m looking forward to this one, the atmosphere at the Riverside should be brilliant. Middlesbrough have done so well to get this far, but I think Chelsea will be a step too far. Chelsea are so strong in cup competitions, and they could well go on and win this.”
Score prediction: Middlesbrough 0-2 Chelsea
