Seeking yet another memorable scalp in the FA Cup, Middlesbrough welcome Chelsea to the Riverside Stadium for today’s quarter-final battle.
The Championship side made it this far by overcoming Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in the fifth round, while the Blues had to do it the hard way to beat Luton Town 3-2.
As if victory at Old Trafford over Manchester United was not remarkable enough for them, Middlesbrough were paired with another Premier League Big Six side in Tottenham for a place in the last eight, and the Riverside giant killers ensured that Spurs’ barren run without a trophy would be extended to 14 years.
After a goalless 90 minutes on March 1, 19-year-old forward Josh Coburn came off the bench to score the winner after just 11 minutes of action in extra time, and Antonio Conte’s side could not find a way through in the time that remained as scenes of delirium erupted in Middlesbrough.
Chris Wilder’s side also got their playoff bid back on track at the weekend thanks to a 2-0 win over Birmingham City, with Premier League loanees Folarin Balogun and Aaron Connolly on target, and a first semi-final FA Cup appearance since 2005-06 is firmly in their sights.
Not since the 2016-17 season have Middlesbrough taken to the pitch for an FA Cup quarter-final – bowing out to Manchester City 2-0 that year – while their semi-final venture in the 2005-06 campaign under Steve McClaren ended in heartbreak to West Ham United.
Attempting to get one over the European champions is a slightly different kettle of fish to an inconsistent Man United or Spurs side, but Boro are on an incredible nine-game winning run at the Riverside Stadium in all competitions and have only let in four goals in that stretch.
While off-the-pitch issues continue to bedevil Chelsea – whose inexplicable request to have the quarter-final played behind closed doors led to an amusing response from Middlesbrough .