CHELSEA’S hopes of reaching their first final under Mauricio Pochettino rest on one fateful match at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues welcome Championship side Middlesbrough to London on Tuesday in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final clash.
And after losing 1-0 at the Riverside a fortnight ago, Chelsea need to score at least twice to seal a spot at Wembley.
Poch’s men put in a dismal performance when they travelled up north for the first encounter.
Hayden Hackney’s 37th minute strike ended up being enough to give Boro a famous win over their glamorous opponents.
Chelsea huffed and puffed as they clocked up 72 per cent while playing 744 passes to their hosts’ 298.
But just five of their 18 shots were on target.
And the Blues will have to be at their clinical best if they want to make the final at Wembley against either Liverpool or Fulham.
It could be a tough slog though, with Michael Carrick proving his tactical nous with a five-man defence in the first leg.
Chelsea are also set to be without several attackers, but fans are sure to get behind their players with the prospect of a trophy at stake.
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Chelsea were on a three-match winning streak in all competitions before their defeat to Boro.
Since then, they recorded a 1-0 win against Fulham before enjoying a week-long break.
Chelsea have won their last SIX matches at Stamford Bridge though, and will be feeling confident of making it seven.
As for Middlesbrough, their most recent result was a 1-1 draw in the Championship against Rotherham.
They also beat Millwall after their victory against Chelsea.
And Carrick will be eager to make it four games without defeat.
Chelsea have a long injury list going into Tuesday night’s game.
Wesley Fofana and Reece James are still on the long-term injury list, while Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia are out of action again after returning weeks ago.
Nicolas Jackson is on Afcon duty with Senegal so Armando Broja can expect to start from the off.
Malo Gusto has also been ruled out, but there could be minutes for Cesare Casadei and Diego Moreira after they were recalled from their respective loans at Leicester and Lyon.
As for Boro, they will be without Tom Smith and Darragh Lennihan, who are both injured.
Morgan Rogers will have to put transfer speculation and a potential move to Aston Villa to the back of his mind as he will be starting in midfield for Michael Carrick’s side.
Chelsea will once again look to talisman Cole Palmer for inspiration.
While Boro are sure to pose a threat through Morgan Rogers.
Mauricio Pochettino: “It’s a passport to go to a final, to visit Wembley.
“It’s a really important game for us and we need to show it’s important for the club, for us, for everyone.
“We want to be in the final but first we need to beat a very good team, Middlesbrough, that in the first leg we couldn’t beat.
“Of course, it’s going to be tough, but we are confident that we can have a very good game against Middlesbrough in front of our fans.
“We need to take advantage of playing at Stamford Bridge with all the energy that will translate from our fans.”
Michael Carrick: “Part of football is creating hopes and dreams and the passion and excitement, the dream, the fairy tale. I was exactly the same when I was purely a supporter. That is what it should be.
“It is very different when you are in it. You have to be concentrated and a bit more business-like. But that doesn’t take away the buzz and excitement and the passion to do well. It is just slightly different.
“But certainly the supporters should be dreaming and making the most of it and wanting to play the very best because that is the beauty of football.”
This is going to be a tense encounter and could get steamy if Boro keep Chelsea at bay again.
But the Blues are all about winning trophies, even in their new era under Todd Boehly.
And we’re backing Chelsea to triumph on the night to seal their place in the Carabao Cup final.
Final score: Chelsea 2 Middlesbrough 0 (2-1 agg)
*Odds courtesy of Ladbrokes and correct at time of publication.
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