Team News
Justin Hoyte is out for Middlesbrough along with Stuart Parnaby. Josh McEachran is ineligible to play against his parent club, Chelsea. Lukas Jutkiewicz is doubtful due to an ankle problem. Oriol Romeu is out for Chelsea until after the end of the current season.
Analysis
Middlesbrough is currently going through a bad spell. They have collected only four points from their last six games and have sunk to seventh in the English Championship. For a team which is going through a bad patch, Chelsea is certainly not a welcome visitor.
However, Chelsea is coming into this on the back of yet another loss. A Frank Lampard penalty miss proved crucial into turning the match as City claimed a 2-0 victory to stay in the title race. Nonetheless, Chelsea has fared well in the cup competitions in the past two seasons and should advance in the FA Cup at the expense of faltering Middlesbrough.
Previous Meetings
Chelsea 2-0 Middlesbrough (29th January 2009)
Middlesbrough 0-5 Chelsea (18th October 2008)
Chelsea 1-0 Middlesbrough (30th March 2008)
Middlesbrough 0-2 Chelsea (20th October 2007)
Chelsea 3-0 Middlesbrough (10th February 2007)
Previous Matches
Middlesbrough 1-2 Millwall (23rd February 2013)
Burnley 0-0 Middlesbrough (19th February 2013)
Crystal Palace 4-1 Middlesbrough (16th February 2013)
Middlesbrough 1-0 Leeds (12th February 2013)
Middlesbrough 2-3 Barnsley (9th February 2013)
Manchester City 2-0 Chelsea (24th February 2013)
Chelsea 1-1 Sparta Prague (21st February 2013)
Chelsea 4-0 Brentford (17th February 2013)
Sparta Prague 0-1 Chelsea (14th February 2013)
Chelsea 4-1 Wigan (9th February 2013)
Prediction
Middlesbrough 0-3 Chelsea
