Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson expects Chelsea to come out on top when they take on Middlesbrough in the FA Cup this evening.
While he thinks Boro will make things difficult for Thomas Tuchel’s side, Merson is backing the Blues to progress to the semi-finals:
“I’d be shocked if Chelsea don’t win this. Boro will make it hard for them like they did against Tottenham, but the Blues are spoilt for choice as their squad is so, so big.”
Merson has gone with a 3-1 win to Chelsea, which is a surprising prediction in terms of the number of goals. As we saw when Middlesbrough knocked out Spurs, they will keep things tight at the back, and manager Chris Wilder knows how to organise a defence so scoring three against them won’t be an easy task.
Considering everything that is going on at the club too, you have to wonder whether the FA Cup is a top priority for the Blues. They are, however, professionals, and we have seen in recent matches that Tuchel can keep his players focused on football. There will likely be some rotation in terms of the starting lineup but as Merson says, their strength of depth means they are still big favourites for this match.
