Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is confident that home advantage will help turn the League Cup semifinal against Middlesbrough in his team’s favour at the start of a pivotal week for the London club.
The five-time League Cup winner faces Championship side Middlesbrough on Tuesday, trailing 1-0 from the first leg.
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“It is a passport to the final, to visit Wembley. It’s really important for us, the club, for everyone,” Pochettino told reporters on Monday.
“We want to be in the final but first of all, we need to beat a very good team in Middlesbrough. We could not beat them in the first leg, but we are very confident that we can have a very good game in front of our fans and the energy from the fans.”
There is no chance French forward Christopher Nkunku will be fit to play due to a hip injury, the manager said, and Chelsea will also be without right back Malo Gusto.
Chelsea has recalled midfielder Cesare Casadei and forward Diego Moreira from loan spells at Leicester and Olympique Lyonnais.
“It will help us as we had been suffering from injuries,” Pochettino said.
Casadei cannot play in the League Cup or FA Cup games this week because he has appeared in both competitions with Leicester.
Chelsea is languishing ninth in the Premier League table, 12 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa who it hosts in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday.
Pochettino’s side is unbeaten in its last eight games at Stamford Bridge across all competitions. Its next league game is against leader Liverpool on January 31.
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