Pochettino Calls On Chelsea Fans To Be Vibrant Against Middlesbrough

Chelsea will need to overturn a 1-0 deficit suffered in the semi-final first leg with a place at Wembley against Fulham or Liverpool on the line.

The atmosphere at Stamford Bridge has been subdued in recent months, with Chelsea posting just three wins at home between January and November last year.

Pochettino's side is however turning the corner after winning each of their last three home games.

Tuesday's game against Michael Carrick's side gives Chelsea the chance to reach a first major final since Todd Boehly's takeover of the club in the summer of 2022.

“It’s a passport to the final, to visit Wembley,” Pochettino said at his pre-match news conference.

“It’s an important game for the club, for us, for everyone. We want to be in the final but first of all we need to beat a very good team that, in the first leg, we could not beat.

“We’re confident we can have a very good game in front of our fans. We need to take advantage of playing at Stamford Bridge with all the energy that will translate from our fans.

“We were disappointed after the (first leg). When you analyse it, we deserved more, but football sometimes is not what you deserve – it’s to be clinical, aggressive, to score goals.

“We were all disappointed but we have 90 minutes to fix the situation. We’re going to respect the opponent. But it’s a massive chance for us to go to the final and win a title.”