Port Vale will host Middlesbrough with a place in the semi-finals up for grabs in the EFL Cup. The League One hosts will play in the competition’s quarterfinals for the first time. Boro will be making their first appearance at this stage since the 2018–19 campaign.
Preview (Port Vale vs Middlesbrough)
Following their successful negotiation of four rounds of matches, which started with a tight 3-2 victory over fellow League One team Fleetwood Town in August, Port Vale are currently experiencing the best EFL Cup run of their 147-year history. They then defeated Crewe Alexandra in a shootout by maintaining composure when it came to the penalties. They defeated Sutton United 2-1 to advance to the third round where they faced Mansfield Town. Alfie Devine, a Tottenham Hotspur loanee, scored in the 50th minute of the match to make history. It guarantees the team’s spot in the round of eight, proving to be the match’s hero.
The Valiants may see Tuesday’s matchup with Championship opponents as a viable opportunity to pull off an upset and make it into the final four, despite their dreams of a matchup with teams like Chelsea or Liverpool. After winning 3-2 at Wigan Athletic, in which the Valiants threw away a two-goal lead before Ethan Chislett scored a late goal to complete his hat-trick, they will be feeling good going into their historic cup run. In addition, it was their first home victory in regular time since September. This victory gave them much-needed confidence ahead of Middlesbrough’s trip to Vale Park.
In the meantime, Middlesbrough is participating in the quarterfinals after winning four away games. It included a close victory over Huddersfield Town, a team in the Championship, to begin their cup campaign. To extend their winning streak in the competition, they proceeded to defeat fourth-tier Bradford City 2-0 and League One team Bolton Wanderers 3-1. In their most recent cup match, Boro defeated third-tier Exeter City 3-2. This win guaranteed their spot in the final eight, where they will face another away match. Before the trip to Wales on Saturday, three of those losses occurred. Sam Greenwood and a Silvera goal helped Middlesbrough upset Swansea City 2-1 and get back on track.
Team News
Josh Thomas, Dan Jones, and Mitchell Clark are still out with injuries, therefore Andy Crosby’s team is still without them. After being out since October 10, James Wilson looks to be getting closer to being fully healthy again, but Tuesday’s match might be too soon for the striker. Nathan Smith has the potential to return to the starting lineup and play in a back three alongside Jason Lowe and Jesse Debrah after being limited to the bench over the weekend. The injured list for Boro includes Marcus Forss, Tommy Smith, Darragh Lenihan, Hayden Hackney, Lewis O’Brien, and Paddy McNair.
After missing time due to a foot injury, midfielder Riley McGree is getting closer to returning to training, but he won’t be available for Tuesday’s cup match. Goalie Tom Glover is expected to return to the squad after playing in the previous four cup matches. This is especially true since first-choice stopper Seny Dieng was substituted in the last moments of Saturday’s victory over Swansea.
Port Vale 1-3 Middlesbrough
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