Preview: Chelsea vs. Middlesbrough – Team news and prediction

We need to find the first finalist for this year's EFL Cup final, and Middlesbrough has a slight advantage after securing an impressive 1-0 victory in the first leg. However, considering Chelsea's quality, they should be able to deliver a better performance than in the initial match. In the first leg, Chelsea lacked sharpness, missing significant chances, while Middlesbrough displayed composure both offensively and defensively, securing a fine victory. The upcoming match is expected to be one with Chelsea dominance, where Middlesbrough will likely defend deep and focus on set-pieces and counterattacks.

Middlesbrough enters the match in decent form, having earned 7 points in their last three games. Chelsea is also in good form with 4 wins in their last 5 matches, and looking at their home record, they have won the last 6 games.

Chelsea current form (all competitions):
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Middlesbrough current form (all competitions): 
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Team news: 
Wesley Fofana, Reece James, Marc Cucurella, Romeo Lavia, Christopher Nkunku, Robert Sanchez, and Lesley Ugochukwu are unavailable for tonight's match, and injury concerns persist for Chelsea this season. Additionally, Nicolas Jackson is absent due to international duty.

Middlesbrough is also missing several players for tonight's match; Darragh Lenihan, Tom Smith, Emmanuel Latte Lath, and Alex Bangura are all out with injuries, while Sam Silvera, Riley McGree, and Seny Dieng are on international duty with their respective national teams.

Chelsea expected lineup: 
Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, T Silva, Colwill; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Gallagher, Sterling; Palmer.

Middlesbrough expected lineup: 
Glover; Ayling, Fry, Clarke, Engel; Barlaser, Howson; Hackney, Rogers, Azaz; Forss.

Prediction: 
Chelsea is in a good period, and being at Stamford Bridge with the opportunity to advance to a final should be motivation enough to come out strong from the start. We believe that the difference in quality will be evident in tonight's match, and therefore, we suggest betting on Chelsea leading at halftime/fulltime at odds of 1.72 at Bet365.