FA Cup: Chelsea Face the Boro Roar

Middlesbrough FC vs Chelsea

The FA Cup game between Middlesbrough vs Chelsea has it all as the big city boys and the European champions are on their way up North to face second-tier battlers Middlesbrough, and it could well be Chelsea’s biggest test in a difficult few weeks.     

Boro come into the game on the back of a Championship win away to Birmingham which has lifted them to seventh in the table, on the edge of the playoffs and not out of the running for automatic promotion.

Meanwhile, Chelsea navigated a tricky Champions League date with Lille, emerging from France with a 2-1 win. But they now head to face Middlesbrough, a totally different opponent and one which has seen off Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the last two rounds.

This is what the FA Cup is all about!

The Blues are third favourites to lift the 2022 trophy at a SBOTOP price of 5.00, while Middlesbrough are available at 51.00 to be the first second-tier team to win the FA Cup since 1980.

The hosts are a long shot at 3.94 to make it through to the semi-finals while Chelsea are at 1.20. But as Tottenham and Manchester United will testify, that is a very dangerous assumption to make.

Talking Points

No Blues fans in the crowd

Following the government intervention in the affairs of Roman Abramovich and the football club, the European champions are no longer allowed to move money, which is a total restriction of trade.

And that means the Blues fans will have to watch the FA Cup 2022 highlights on the telly as their club is barred from selling tickets.

In a mind-boggling development, Chelsea requested that this game be played behind closed doors and the northeast club responded with some disbelief. After all, why should their club and fans suffer as a result of their opponents’ off-field problems?

Middlesbrough have taken advantage of the situation and put the 3,200 tickets in the away end on sale to their own fans. 

The situation in Chelsea shows no sign of easing anytime soon, though there are potential buyers expressing an interest in the club – among them the owners of the Chicago Cubs. The Ricketts family is leading an investment group which is said to be preparing a bid which may emerge as soon as Friday.     

Chelsea toughing it out

The Blues’ game in Lille produced their fifth consecutive win since Abramovich’s announcement that the club was up for sale, but it was a hard-fought victory after Burak Yilmaz scored a first-half penalty to blow the tie wide open.

Goals from Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta gave the Blues victory on the night and 4-1 on aggregate and they are safely in the hat for the quarter final draw, also on Friday.

It could be a big day in West London. 

There were two notes of disappointment for boss Thomas Tuchel on the night. First, centre-back Andreas Christensen was substituted with a suspected hamstring injury, and then Tuchel was told his club may not be allowed to sell tickets for future home Champions League games.      

It’s a tough time for the manager and his players. And while the Premier League is gone with Manchester City and Liverpool battling it out for the 2022 title, Tuchel still has two targets: The Champions League and the FA Cup.

Wilder has Middlesbrough rocking

They have won their last nine games at the Riverside Stadium and Middlesbrough have been a force to be reckoned with in the league and cup since the arrival of former Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder in November.

Boro’s fourth round victory over Manchester United was the result of the round as Matt Crooks equalised a Jadon Sancho opener and the underdogs won the tie on penalties.

In the fifth round, 19-year-old Josh Coburn scored the winner against Tottenham as 30,000 Boro fans rocked the stadium.

Wilder is a passionate and tough operator with a shrewd tactical brain, and on the pitch he has former Leeds midfield star Jonny Howson as his captain. Meanwhile, Premier League fans will also recognise Irish striker Aaron Connolly who is on loan from Brighton. 

History

Chelsea are eight times winners of the FA Cup with the last time in 2018, while their opponents have missed out narrowly on cup glory three times. 

Middlesbrough were FA Cup runners up in 1997 and they were also runners-up in the League Cup in the same campaign.

They lost the FA Cup final 2-0 to Chelsea, and in a double blow, Boro were relegated in 1997.

They also reached the League Cup final in 1998 and, guess what, they were beaten 2-0 again by Chelsea. But they did manage to get promoted back to the Premier League in the same campaign.

The two teams have met 30 times since 1995 with Chelsea winning 20 to Boro’s five and there have been five draws.  The last encounter resulted in a 3-0 win for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.    

Betting Tip

So the FA Cup 2022 betting odds reckon this is an away victory at odds of 1.48, while Boro are available at 5.41 and the draw is 3.83.

Chelsea are unbeaten in six away while Boro are on a long winning run at home so this promises to be a great tussle. Wilder will set his team up to press hard and defend in numbers, hoping for a breakaway to take another big name scalp.

 

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