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TEAM NEWS
Chelsea pair David Luiz and N’Golo Kante are injury doubts for Monday’s game against Middlesbrough.
Luiz fell awkwardly towards the end of last week’s 3-0 victory over Everton, while Kante has a thigh problem.
Middlesbrough pair Grant Leadbitter and Adlene Guedioura have returned to training after respective hamstring and groin injuries and could be involved.
Gaston Ramirez is likely to miss out with a pelvic problem, while Victor Valdes and Daniel Ayala remain doubts.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Chelsea have won seven successive meetings without conceding a goal, including the last six Premier League encounters.
- Middlesbrough have gone 18 league matches without a victory at Stamford Bridge since a 2-1 top-flight triumph in March 1975 (D6, L12). Boro have only scored five times in those games, and none in the last seven visits.
Chelsea
- Chelsea are vying for a 13th Premier League home win in 14 attempts.
- Antonio Conte’s side have taken 81 points from 34 matches, equalling the final tally by champions Leicester City last season.
- The Blues could keep consecutive Premier League clean sheets for the first time since January.
- They are the division’s highest scorers with 72 goals prior to the weekend fixtures.
- Diego Costa needs one goal to equal his best return of 20 in a Premier League season, set in 2014-15.
Middlesbrough
- Middlesbrough have 28 points with three games remaining. The fewest points won by a team to avoid relegation from the Premier League is 34, set by West Brom in 2004-05.
- They could be relegated from the Premier League for a record-equalling fourth time.
- Boro’s only league win in 18 games since Christmas came at home to relegated Sunderland last month.
- They have not won an away match in 16 attempts since the second weekend of the season, losing five of the last six.
- Steve Agnew’s side are the division’s joint-lowest scorers ahead of the week with 26 goals, the same as Sunderland.
- Middlesbrough have mustered a league-low 93 attempts on target this season in the Premier League. Chelsea have managed more than this in their home games alone (97).
Once again thanks to the BBC Sport Website – normal writing duties will resume tomorrow
