Our prediction for this EFL Cup match:
Middlesbrough
Match Time & Date:
09/01/2024
21:00
Prediction: 0-2
Chelsea
A place in the EFL Cup final will be at stake when Middlesbrough and Chelsea square off against each other at Riverside Stadium on Tuesday evening. The Boro aim to recover from the FA Cup loss to Aston Villa, but they face an uphill task in the EFL Cup clash. Fit-again forward Emmanuel Latte Lath is pushing for a start as well as experienced midfielder Jonathan Howson, while all Dieng, Forss, Lenihan, McNair, O’Brien, and Smith remain in the recovery room.
The Blues, on the other hand, aim to build on a 4-0 FA Cup win over Preston. Mauro Pochettino’s troops are on a three-game winning run in all competitions and seeing that Middlesbrough suit them, away win should be considered. You should know that the Blues emerged triumphant in each of their last nine meetings with the Boro in all competitions. Christopher Nkunku should recover in time to face the Championship side, while fellow forward Nicolas Jackson is on international duty. Left-back Ben Chilwell is unlikely to be risked in the midweek game.
Highlighted Player (Thiago Silva):
Brazilian defender Thiago Silva is one of the highest rated defenders in world football. Having emerged from Fluminense youth ranks, the 31-year-old defender established himself as a world-class performer while plying his trade for AC Milan from 2009 to 2012.
Having largely contributed to Rossonerri’s title winning campaign in 2010-11, Thiago Silva moved to Paris Saint-Germain together with Zlatan Ibrahimovic for a reported fee worth €42 million, which made him then second-most expensive defender in football history after Rio Ferdinand.
Silva was an immediate success at the French club, helping Les Parisiens win four consecutive Ligue 1 titles in the process. Heavily linked with a move away from Parc des Princes, fan favourite Thiago Silva remains a key figure at Paris Saint-Germain and a leader of the new wave under head coach Unai Emery. Having already surpassed the 100-game mark for the French giants, Thiago Silva is slowly writing his name in the history books of Paris Saint-Germain.
Highlighted Team (Middlesbrough):
Middlesbrough is a professional football club that have been balancing between the top two divisions of England’s league system in the modern history. Boro have been playing their home games at the Riverside Stadium since 1995 and their shirt colour is red. The capacity of the Riverside Stadium is 34,742. Middlesbrough impressed in the 2015/2016 Championship campaign and they did really well to secure promotion to the English top flight. Newcastle United and Sunderland are regarded as the club’s main rivals, but there is a rivalry with Leeds United as well.
Middlesbrough made it to the FA Cup final in 1997, but Chelsea proved to be a big catch for the Boro in the title game (0-2). However, the Riverside Stadium outfit did remarkably well to win the League Cup trophy in 2004, with the team beating Bolton Wanderers in the final. George Boateng, Stewart Downing, Juninho Paulista, Gareth Southgate, Jonathan Woodgate, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Tuncay Sanli and Hamilton Ricard are the star footballers who left their mark at Middlesbrough.
Brighton
Southampton
Barcelona
Las Palmas 
Crystal Palace
Newcastle 
Borussia Dortmund 
Bayern Munich 
West Ham
Arsenal
Aston Villa 
