Chelsea will look to take another step toward the Premier League title when they host Middlesbrough at Stamford Bridge on Monday night, kick-off at 21h00 CAT.The Blues may well find themselves just one point ahead of closest chasers Tottenham Hotspur (should the Lilywhites win at West Ham United on Friday) by the time they host Boro, but they have their fate in their own hands: three wins from their four remaining league matches will guarantee the title.And the first of those wins will surely arrive against a Middlesbrough side who are clinging to Premier League life by their fingernails. The Northerners may have held Manchester City to a 2-2 draw in their last outing, but they are likely to find Chelsea a much sterner test of their resolve. The Blues passed what most pundits believed to be their last major test last weekend when they thumped Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park and it’s hard to imagine anything other than a convincing win for Antonio Conte’s side on Monday.In head-to-head stats, Chelsea and Boro have met in 92 matches: the Blues have claimed 43 wins compared to 24 for their opponents, while 25 games have ended in draws. The teams’ most recent meeting was a league clash in November last year which saw Chelsea claim a 1-0 win (their seventh in succession against Boro) at the Riverside Stadium.
Chelsea v Middlesbrough - head-to-head, all competitions
Matches played 92
Chelsea wins 43
Middlesbrough wins 24
Draws 25
Chelsea goals 142
Middlesbrough goals 103
Form guide (last five results, most recent first, all competitions)
Chelsea - WWWLW
Middlesbrough - DWLLD