Chelsea return to action tomorrow evening (Saturday) when they face Middlesbrough in the FA Cup quarter-final.
The Blues, who qualified for the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals with a win over Lille earlier this week, have a good chance of advancing to the FA Cup final against the Championship side.
Boro, on the other hand, has knocked out Manchester United and Tottenham in previous rounds and will be looking to repeat their fantastic performance against the blues. However, below are the two major reasons why Chelsea will knockout Middlesbrough in the FA Cup quarter-final.
Chelsea Injury Boost
Chelsea received a huge injury boost ahead of the Middlesbrough clash in the FA Cup as both Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi returned from injury.
In the 4-0 win over Burnley earlier this month, Reece James returned to the starting lineup after a lengthy layoff. However, he suffered another injury during the victory at Turf Moor and was unable to play in Sunday’s victory over Newcastle.
Meanwhile, Callum Hudson-Odoi has been battling an Achilles issue and will be tested late in the season. For the second leg against Lille, the Chelsea academy graduates did not go to France with the rest of the squad.
According to Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel “With Reece and Callum, we will try to have them join in training later but this will be a very tight race.”
Form
Chelsea are currently on blistering form as they have won their last 5 matches in all competitions; defeating the likes of Luton, Burnley, Norwich, Newcastle, and Lille.
Chelsea carry a 2-0 lead from the first leg, which makes the first goal scored tonight especially important. There is no away-goals rule this year, so a straight-up aggregate score will win the tie, with extra time and penalties tonight if necessary.
Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, and Pulisic will be looking forward to continuing their magical goal-scoring form too, they have been involved in Chelsea’s most goals in the last five matches in all competitions, and it’s a great sign.
Prediction: Middlesbrough 1 v 3 Chelsea