FA Cup, Middlesbrough v Chelsea: Where to Follow, Preview and Teams

Chelsea travel to the Riverside Stadium to face Championship side Middlesbrough in the fifth round of the FA Cup. The winner of the game will face Premier League leaders Manchester United in the quarter final of the tournament.

Where to Watch

Kick-off is set for 7.45pm GMT. Live radio commentary will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Overview

Tony Mowbray's side progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup after a 2-1 home victory over League Two side Aldershot Town last month. But they come into this game after a home defeat to Millwall in the Championship, which saw George Friend score an own goal before Martyn Woolford doubled the lead for the visitors. Curtis Main netted a goal in the final quarter of the game for the hosts.

The Teesside club are not enjoying great form in this calendar year as they have managed to win only one of their last nine games in the league; seven of the rest have been lost. The poor run has dropped them to seventh in the Championship table with 51 points from 34 games and they trail Brighton & Hove Albion, in the final play-off place for promotion to the Premier League, by a point.

Chelsea enter this game after a 2-0 defeat to Premier League champions Manchester City, at the Etihad, on Sunday. The game saw the Blues' star, Frank Lampard, miss a penalty. And second half goals from Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez were sufficient for Roberto Mancini's side to seal three points.

The defeat against City and a victory for Tottenham Hotspur over West Ham United on Monday has seen the west London club drop to fourth place in the Premier League table with 49 points from 27 games. They trail Andre Villas-Boas' side by two points.

The Blues progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup after defeating Brentford 4-0 in a fourth round replay at Stamford Bridge earlier this month. In addition, Chelsea progressed to the Round of 16 of the Europa League after their 1-1 draw over Sparta Prague. Rafael Benitez will be looking for a win against the Championship side on Wednesday night, as the defending champions will obviously be keen to retain the FA Cup.

Team Guide

Middlesbrough

• Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): L D L W L

• Last Result: Middlesbrough 1 - 2 Millwall

Chelsea

• Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): L D W W W

• Last Result: Manchester City 2 - 0 Chelsea

Team News

Mowbray has a few injury concerns as both right-backs - Justin Hoyte and Stuart Parnaby - are injured. This means 30-year-old Stephen McManus is likely to start in that position, although the boss could also move Andre Bikey to the flank, to counter the threat from the likes of Oscar and Victor Moses. Lukas Jutkiewicz (ankle) remains doubtful while weekend scorer Main could lead Boro's attacking line-up, with Scott McDonald. Midfielder Josh McEachran, on-loan from Chelsea, will miss the match as he is not eligible to face his parent club.

Probable Line-Up: Steele; McManus, Bikey, Williams, Friend; Carayol, Leadbitter, Dyer, Hailliday; McDonald, Main

Chelsea also have a mini-defensive crisis as Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta are ruled out, meaning Benitez is likely to start club skipper, John Terry. Oriol Romeu remains a long-term absentee. Lampard and Juan Mata are likely to start the game from the bench while Fernando Torres could lead the Blues' attack.

Probable Line-Up: Cech; Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Bertrand; Ramires, Mikel, Marin; Oscar, Torres, Moses