A place at Wembley's EFL Cup final is on the line for both Chelsea and Middlesbrough, who play out the second leg of their semifinal tie at Stamford Bridge. The Premier League side have it all to do in west London, after they lost 1-0 to their second-tier opponents at the Riverside Stadium.
Coming off the back of a 3-0 victory against Port Vale in the quarterfinals, Michael Carrick's side dominated the early stages at the Riverside and took a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute through academy product Hayden Hackney.
Chelsea fired off a handy 18 shots in their bid to get back on level terms, but only managed five on target as they struggled to break down Boro's valiant, organised defence throughout the second half in North Yorkshire.
With a chance to reach the EFL Cup final for the first time since losing to Liverpool on penalties in 2022, Chelsea will be hoping home advantage can spur them on to overturn the deficit.
Middlesbrough certainly won't be going down without a fight though, and if they can retain their 1-0 lead in the second leg, they'll reach the final almost 20 years to the day since beating Bolton to win their first, and only, major trophy in the club's history.
What time does Chelsea vs Middlesbrough kick off?
The second leg of this EFL Cup semifinal clash between Chelsea and Middlesbrough takes place on Tuesday, January 23, 2024 at Stamford Bridge in London, UK. The match kicks off at 8 p.m. GMT.
Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA | Tue, Jan. 23 | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| Canada | Tue, Jan. 23 | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| UK | Tue, Jan. 23 | 8:00 p.m. GMT |
| Australia | Wed, Jan. 24 | 7:00 a.m. AEDT |
| India | Wed, Jan. 24 | 1:30 a.m. IST |
Chelsea vs Middlesbrough live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch this EFL Cup semifinal across selected areas of the world's major regions:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | — | ESPN+ |
| Canada | — | |
| UK | Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football | Sky GO, Now TV |
| Australia | beIN Sports 3 | beIN Sports Connect |
| India | — | FanCode |
USA: This game is available on ESPN+.
Canada: This game is live streaming exclusively on DAZN.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream EFL Cup matches live and on demand on beIN Sports.
UK: This match is available for live broadcast in the UK via Sky Sports services with streaming available on Sky GO and Now TV.
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Chelsea vs Middlesbrough lineups, team news
Boro striker Morgan Rogers is the joint-top scorer in this season's EFL Cup alongside Liverpool's Cody Gakpo, and is set to lead the line for the visitors at Stamford Bridge alongside Matt Crooks and first-leg scorer Hayden Hackney. Recent January signings Finn Azaz and Luke Ayling are both cup-tied.
Middlesbrough (3-4-2-1, right to left): Glover (GK) — van den Berg, Clarke, Engel — Jones, Barlaser, Howson, Forss — Crooks, Hackney — Rogers.
Middlesbrough subs (9): TBC
Cole Palmer's miss from point-blank range highlighted Chelsea's profligacy in front of goal at the Riverside, but the 21-year-old midfielder responded with a winner from the penalty spot as the Blues beat Fulham in the west London derby. He'll need to be on top form if Mauricio Pochettino's side are to overturn their first-leg deficit, as will fellow frontmen Raheem Sterling, Noni Madueke and Armando Broja.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1 right to left): Petrovic (GK) — Gusto, Silva, Disasi, Colwill — Caicedo, Fernandez — Palmer, Gallagher, Sterling — Broja.
Chelsea subs (9): TBC
Chelsea vs Middlesbrough prediction
It's advantage Boro heading into the second leg of this EFL Cup semifinal, and if the Championship side can defend as doggedly as they did at home, they'll be well placed to reach Wembley.
However, Chelsea have home advantage this time around, and although their young squad have buckled under the pressure of the Stamford Bridge crowd, their Premier League quality will undoubtedly tell for large parts of this game.
We're still set for an unbelievably tight game though, and while Chelsea may well draw level in normal time, Boro will be no pushovers. Michael Carrick's men have the ability to push Chelsea all the way, and it could be well into extra-time before their EFL Cup dream comes to an end.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Middlesbrough — after extra-time (2-1 on aggregate)
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