Chelsea fans were given reason to believe again earlier this week when they booked their place in the final four of the EFL Cup with a thrilling victory at home.
They dramatically got past Newcastle at Stamford Bridge, with it looking as if they were set to go out as the game entered added time.
However, Mykhailo Mudryk struck late in the piece to take it to penalties, where the Blues were perfect thanks to some sensational spot kicks.
When the draw was made for the semi-finals last night, they were handed a two-legged affair against Middlesbrough, the lowest ranked side in the competition by some distance.
They have enjoyed good fortunes ever since they were taken over by Manchester United legend Michael Carrick, however it is fair to say it was the draw Chelsea fans were hoping for in order to avoid favourites Liverpool.
The Blues haven’t faced the side from the North-East regularly in the league since 2017, although they did meet them on their way to the FA Cup final in 2022, where they won 2-0 away from home.
Chelsea strong against Middlesbrough
Their record against Middlesbrough should actually leave supporters even more confident that they can get the job done and book their tickets to Wembley.
A statistic from journalist Ben Jacobs shows that the Blues are unbeaten against their future opponents since 2006, racking up more than 17 years of just wins against them.
In this time, they are also yet to concede a goal against them, which will be crucial when it gets into the two-legged format that the semi-finals bring.
There has certainly been a shortage of optimism around Stamford Bridge over the last 18 months, but a trophy would definitely go about changing that and altering one or two viewpoints on Mauricio Pochettino as the current Chelsea manager.
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