Pochettino must take team into EFL Cup final as Chelsea handed easiest semi-final draw on paper

Chelsea will face Middlesbrough in EFL semi-final

Mauricio Pochettino Chelsea will have a chance to reach the final of the EFL Cup if they overcome Championship side Middlesbrough. As per Eurosport, the Blues will be favourites to reach the final as they have been handed the easiest draw.

Meanwhile, Liverpool will face Fulham after hammering West Ham United 5-1 last night. If the Reds reach the final, we can expect a repeat of the 2021–22 EFL Cup.

Chelsea prevailed 4-2 on penalties against Newcastle United and will now face the Championship side. Both sides will face each other twice, as the semi-final of the Carabao Cup consists of two legs in January, with the winners reaching February’s final at Wembley. The last time Chelsea won the EFL Cup was back in 2014-15 under Jose Mourinho.

The Blues are highly likely to win a trophy in the Argentine’s first stint as manager. Meanwhile, in the Premier League, the London club is languishing at 10^th in the table. They will next face Wolves on Sunday, and their last match of the year will be against Crystal Palace on December 28.

Given the high expectations Pochettino is already setting, the fans will hope that the Argentine manager will deliver this season following a dismal season last term. We are slowly building a competitive side, and once we have a fully fit squad, we can be back soon into the fold.

The primary cause of Chelsea’s poor performance this season is injuries that prevented Pochettino from using his full team. However, we should have half of the players back by January.

We have an easy tie in the semi-final of the EFL Cup but shouldn’t overestimate them because there could be many surprises as Middlesbrough haven’t reached the semi-final by fluke. Michael Carrick has done a great job and can pull off a victory against us.

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Even so, we are heavy favourites and ought to win easily because anything less than a victory would be embarrassing because we cannot lose against a Championship side if we have come this far in the competition.