Predicted Chelsea XI vs Middlesbrough: Reece James not risked, Jorginho steps out, new attack

On Wednesday night, Chelsea booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals. This evening, they could clinch their spot in the FA Cup semi-finals. Not bad for a club supposedly in crisis and shrouded in uncertainty, but then few thrive amid chaos quite like the Blues.

This ability to win when least expected and to overcome adversity has served Chelsea extremely well during the Roman Abramovich ear, which will shortly be coming to an end as bids to purchase the club off the Russian – who has been sanctioned by the UK government – had to be submitted before 9pm last night.

It's why few expect Middlesbrough to pull off yet another FA Cup shock this evening. Chris Wilder's side have already eliminated Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur on route to the quarter-finals but Chelsea are a very different outfit. They know how to get the job done in cup competitions, and especially so under Tuchel.

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"I expect an FA Cup atmosphere," the Chelsea head coach said at his pre-match press conference. "An emotional stadium, an emotional crowd. We love the competition. I love the FA Cup. So we expect a tough away match against a strong team. Not more than that, but this is what we expect. It will be a challenge for us."

Tuchel will be without Ben Chilwell (knee) and Saul Niguez (covid) for today's clash at the Riverside Stadium while there were doubts over Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James' fitness. The latter did undertake first-team training yesterday but may not be risked for the quarter-final tie.

Throughout this season's FA Cup, Tuchel has tended to heavily rotate his starting XI. Yet with an international break immediately