Boro have traditionally not enjoyed their visits to the Bridge. Chelsea club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton assess Chelsea's chances of continuing the misery.

Rick spots opponents who have been no pushovers on the road this season.


After last week's dramatic rally against the Gunners, the odds on Avram Grant and his side scooping the Premier League are shorter than namesake Chelsea Harbour winning the Grand National on 5 April.

At this stage of the season, what title-chasers like is to face opposition like Aintree no-hoper Always Waining - someone with nothing to play for. Unfortunately Boro, who according to the table should be your classic mid-table, towels-already-on-the-beach fodder, will be no pushover come Sunday lunchtime.

Before Chelsea's eclipsing of Fabregas and co last weekend Boro were the sole side to beat the Gunners, 2-1 in mid-December. And for more than an hour in the recent return fixture at the Emirates, until Toure's late equaliser, former Arsenal youngster Jeremie Aliadière's goal kept Boro ahead of the then leaders. That was the Frenchman's third goal in six league games.

A week earlier Stewart Downing scored early and earned an equally creditable draw at Villa, and Boro pushed Liverpool all the way at Anfield in a 2-3 defeat a month ago.

Last weekend it was Aliadière's strike partner Tuncay Sanli who scored the winner against Derby, in terrible weather conditions. As one observer put it, the game meant 'the side with the third worst goalscoring record in the Premier League beat the side with the worst goalscoring record'.

But Boro's maligned attack has done enough to secure important points and secure their top-flight status. The excellent understanding between Aliadière and Tuncay has been one of the reasons January's record-signing Afonso Alves has yet to open his account. The £12m Brazilian has only started one league game to date.

There are signs that other areas are functioning better now under Gareth Southgate than during Boro's difficult first few months of the season. Back in October Didier Drogba opened the scoring after eight minutes and Chelsea were rarely threatened before Alex's memorable long-range strike as the hour approached. Drogba, by the way, has scored seven goals in his last nine Premier League matches, stretching back to that match.

Tall, powerful England Under-21 defender David Wheater's rise under the tutelage of former national team centre-back is no real surprise, and he won a call-up to Fabio Capello's initial 30-man senior squad as further reward after signing a new three-year deal at the Riverside in February.

Robert Huth, plagued by injury since he waved goodbye to the Chelsea crowd as a buggy-driving title-winner, has been playing regularly recently and scored a vital late equaliser in the northeast at St James' Park last month. He may have recovered from an ankle injury in time to make a welcome return this weekend.

Sanli's goal against Derby was set-up by George Boateng, who always seems to find an extra gear - or stud, or elbow - against Chelsea. If Boro line up in the same way they did so successfully at the Emirates, Boateng will again be a key figure.

Against Arsène Wenger's 'near to perfection' team, Boateng and his right-sided midfield colleague Gary O'Neil, along with the feisty Wheater and Huth, knew that one slight spanner in their opponents' over-complicated machine, and the whole production line halted. Wiry Egyptian Mohammed Shawky has impressed too, and may retain his place alongside Boateng over Lee Cattermole.

Given that Chelsea's play lacks the over-elaboration of Arsenal's and that Mido and Fabio Rochemback are suspended, Southgate may change formation from 4-4-2 to the 4-5-1 he has used with mixed results in the past, attempting to thwart Chelsea's powerful midfield.

He will also be expecting England wideman Downing and O'Neil to deliver crosses to exploit Chelsea's unexpected vulnerability in the box recently.

However they line up this will be a battle. Gareth Southgate's side have an away record this season that is superior to that of Spurs and equal to Man City's. They have only scored four goals fewer than Liverpool on their travels.

Yet Boro have a daunting record at Stamford Bridge to overturn in this match. They haven't scored at the Bridge since September 2001 and it is 33 years since they last left the Fulham Road with all the points. That day in 1975, Jack Charlton's high-rollers had new signing Terry Copper dismissed by referee Ted Jolly early in the second half. Jolly good job too, because it might have been five or six had he not, rather than 2-1.

Rampant Boro also had two goals disallowed, and controlled the match even after Chelsea's goal - left-back John Sparrow's first for the club, a header from a Charlie Cooke cross - made it appear a close game. Chelsea were four points from safety that day, hesitant and lacking confidence. Come May the Blues were relegated for the first time in 13 years.

That was Boro's first win at the Bridge for ten years, so they have clearly never fancied the West End very much. Arsenal will empathise with that as they travel up to the traditional graveyard of their vanities, Bolton, on Saturday for a 3pm kick-off. Manchester United will know the result of that game before they kick off at home against unpredictable Aston Villa that evening.


CHELSEA V MIDDLESBROUGH - Paul Dutton number crunches ahead of the visit by Gareth Southgate's team.

Chelsea are hoping to extend our unbeaten run against Middlesbrough at Stamford Bridge to 19 games in 33 years including an amazing 14 clean sheets.

The full record is: played 18, won 12, drawn 6, lost 0, goals for 28, against 5.
1977/78 Div 1 Drew 0-0
1978/79 Div 1 Chelsea won 2-1
1982/83 Div 2 Drew 0-0
1983/84 Div 2 Drew 0-0
1987/88 Play-offs Chelsea won 1-0
1992/83 FAPL Chelsea won 4-0
1995/96 FAPL Chelsea won 5-0
1996/97 FAPL Chelsea won 1-0
1998/99 FAPL Chelsea won 2-0
1999/00 FAPL Drew 1-1
2000/01 FAPL Chelsea won 2-1
2001/02 FAPL Drew 2-2
2002/03 FAPL Chelsea won 1-0
2002/03 FA Cup Chelsea won 1-0
2003/04 FAPL Drew 0-0
2004/05 FAPL Chelsea won 2-0
2005/06 FAPL Chelsea won 1-0
2006/07 FAPL Chelsea won 3-0

The last occasion Boro won all three points at the Bridge was at the end of our relegation season 1974/75 when John Sparrow scored our only goal in a 2-1 defeat. John Craggs and Alan Willey scored for Boro and Terry Cooper was sent off in the 48th minute. The teams that day were: Chelsea Phillips, Locke, Sparrow, Hollins (c), Harris, Hay, Britton, R Wilkins, Langley, Kember, Cooke. Middlesbrough Platt, Craggs, Cooper, Souness, Boam (c), Maddren, Murdoch, Mills, Willey, Foggon, Armstrong.

An Alen Boksic penalty six-and-a-half-years ago was the last occasion Boro hit the back of our net at Stamford Bridge They have drawn a blank in over seven-and-a-half hours of play since.

Chelsea are looking to extend our record unbeaten league run at Stamford Bridge to 79 games since our last defeat against Arsenal on February 21st 2004.

In the same period we have not lost at Stamford Bridge in 98 domestic matches if penalty shoot-outs are excluded.

We are also looking to extend our club unbeaten record at Stamford Bridge in all competitions to 63 games since our last defeat on February 22nd 2006 when Barcelona beat a ten-man Chelsea 2-1 in the Champions League. That has been our only home defeat in the last 121 games since February 2004.

Boro are unbeaten in three (one win, two draws) since the home defeat against Cardiff in the FA Cup.

They have picked up just four points from the last 15 available away from the Riverside. Boro's last away victory came at Portsmouth in December.

Only Derby (14 goals), Sunderland (27) and Fulham (27) have scored fewer than Middlesbrough's 28 this season.

Boro have received more cards than any other club - 76 (74 yellow, two red).

Stewart Downing is one of only 13 players to play in every Premier League game this term. There are none from Chelsea.

Chelsea and Middlesbrough are the only clubs to have defeated Arsenal in the league this season.

Chelsea have won 10 and drawn four in the Premier League since our defeat at the Emirates in December and have suffered just one league defeat in 24.

In the reverse fixture at the Riverside in October, a Didier Drogba strike after seven minutes and a 35-yard out-swinging free kick into the top corner from Alex in the second half won the game for the Blues following defeats there in the previous two seasons.

Stewart Downing is Boro's leading scorer in all competitions with seven. Frank Lampard heads Chelsea's scoring chart with 17 and is looking to achieve 20 goals for the third successive season following his 19 in 2004/05.

Chelsea have been beaten four times (Man Utd away, Arsenal away, Tottenham at Wembley and Barnsley away) in 42 games in all competitions under Avram Grant in a run that has seen 29 wins and 25 clean sheets. Grant's win percentage is now an impressive 69%.

Chelsea have played 50 games in all competitions winning 32, drawing 13 and losing five. We have scored 88 goals, conceded 35 and have kept 27 clean sheets. We have failed to score on 10 occasions.

Boro's last six games
Feb 27 Sheffield Utd (FA Cup h) W 1-0
Mar 1 Reading (h) L 0-1
Mar 9 Cardiff (FA Cup h) L 0-2
Mar 12 Aston Villa (a) D 1-1
Mar 15 Arsenal (a) D 1-1
Mar 22 Derby (h) W 1-0

A Tuncay goal just after the half hour mark was enough to defeat relegation bound Derby last Saturday. Team (4-4-2) Schwarzer; Young (Shawky 65), Wheater, Pogatetz (c), Taylor; O'Neil, Boateng, Cattermole, Downing; Tuncay (Johnson 85), Aliadière (Alves 85),

Boro have played 38 games in all competitions winning 12, losing 15 and drawing 11. They have scored 35 goals, conceded 49, have kept 11 clean sheets and failed to score on 12 occasions.

Premier League scorers:
Chelsea (55): Lampard 10 (3 pens), Drogba 8, J Cole 7, Kalou 6, Ballack 4 (1 pen), Essien 4, Shevchenko 4 (1 pen), Alex 2, Belletti 2, Pizarro 2, Wright-Phillips 2, Anelka 1, A Cole 1, Malouda 1, Terry 1.
Middlesbrough (28): Downing 6 (1 pen), Tuncay 6, Aliadière 4, Wheater 3, Arca 2, Mido 2, Boateng 1, Cattermole 1. Hutchinson 1, Huth 1, Young 1.

The other Premier League games this weekend featuring clubs at the top are: Bolton v Arsenal (Sat 3pm), Man Utd v Aston Villa (Sat 5.15pm) and Liverpool v Everton (Sun 4pm).

Chelsea moved up to second for the first time since August after inflicting Arsenal's second defeat of the season last Sunday. With seven games to go Man Utd are five points clear on 73 points. Then come Chelsea with 68, Arsenal third 67, Liverpool on 59 and Everton on 57. Boro are comfortably 12th with 34 points, eight above the drop zone.

A warm welcome back to the Bridge to Robert Huth for the first occasion since his move north in the summer of 2006. Due to injury he has only started 17 of 69 Premier League games for Boro and has been playing regularly since December although he missed out last weekend due to a foot injury.

Fabio Rochemback and Mido are suspended for Middlesbrough.

Ricardo Carvalho, if selected, will make his 150th start in a blue shirt.

Congratulations to Tal Ben-Haim who celebrates his 26th birthday on Monday.

The referee is Phil Dowd. Chelsea have netted four goals in the both the games he has officiated this season, but also conceded seven.

Middlesbrough's highest position in the Premiership is 7th in 2004/05, which qualified them for the 2005/06 UEFA Cup. Their only major piece of silverware is the Carling Cup in 2004.

Chelsea's overall record against Middlesbrough in all competitions is: played 110, won 50, drawn 29, lost 31.

Head-to-head in the league at Stamford Bridge: played 50, won 32, drawn 13, lost 5.

LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING MATCH
Chelsea 3 Middlesbrough 0
Premiership, Saturday February 10th 2007, Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea (4-3-3) Cech; Ferreira, Essien, Terry (c), Bridge; Diarra (Robben 64), Makelele, Lampard; Shevchenko (Gérémi 88), Drogba, Kalou (Wright-Phillips 85).
Manager José Mourinho.
Scorers Drogba (45+2, 82), Xavier own goal (65),
Booked None
Middlesbrough (4-4-2): Schwarzer; Davies, Xavier, Pogatetz, Taylor; Morrison (Euell 72), Boateng (c), Arca (Rochemback 83), Downing; Viduka (Christie 83), Yakubu.
Manager Gareth Southgate.
Booked Downing,
Referee Chris Foy.
Crowd 41,699.