Middlesbrough

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Middlesbrough's run to the quarter-finals has come entirely on the road.

It is a fifth consecutive away tie for Michael Carrick's Championship side.

They won 3-2 at Huddersfield in round one, then 3-1 at Bolton, 2-0 at Bradford City and 3-2 at Exeter thanks to a late Emmanuel Latte Lath penalty in the last round.

In the league on Saturday, Samuel Silvera struck late on as to help Boro end their three-game losing run by beating managerless Swansea City.

Everton

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Sean Dyche wants Everton to continue building a winning mentality in tonight's Carabao Cup quarter-final against Fulham.

Saturday’s 2-0 win at Dyche’s former club Burnley was their fourth in a row in the Premier League, the first time in three years they have enjoyed such a run.

Dyche said “The Premier League, with the kudos, the money, the feel, everybody wants the Premier League, and sometimes you have to weigh up the realities.

"This season I have been trying to change the mentality from last season and continue it. I want a pride in these competitions.

“Regardless of what the game is, we put a side out pulling in the right direction and to win it.”

Port Vale

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Port Vale goalkeeper Connor Ripley, who began his career at tonight's opponents Middlesbrough, speaking to BBC Radio Stoke's Phil Bowers: "If we can get into the next round that would be incredible. It's at home, why can't we?

"I'm excited for multiple reasons. I've got a lot of friends who are Middlesbrough fans - I am a Middlesbrough fan as well - and I'll see a lot of old faces I grew up with.

"I've played against some of my best friends who were in the opposing team before and it doesn't really matter. I'm here for a job. I'm not here to be a fanboy - I'm here to try and knock them out of the cup.

"I like the emotional side of it but when I'm out on that pitch I'm totally focused.

"I'm confident in myself and proud of how my career's gone. Middlesbrough was amazing. I was there as a 15-year-old. They did so much for me and I'll always be grateful.

"But I actually don't care when it comes to this game. I'm a Port Vale player now - and I hope we can cause an upset."

Middlesbrough

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Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick: "Creating memories and big occasions is what we're in it for. Remembering big nights and big performances and results.

"You've got to embrace that - the emotion, the passion and that feeling of something a little bit different of one-off games bringing something that you can't replicate week in, week out in the league.

"We've earned it. We've been away a lot and had some good results, some good performances and this is the next one.

"Cup quarter-finals don't always come along - they don't come along every season - so we want to be at our best.

"They had a fantastic result at the weekend. We obviously watched the game and they played very well. They were very dangerous, very positive and aggressive. They remind me a little bit of Bolton in terms of the numbers, and how they put so many across the backline but they're quite open and expansive, so there's lots of movement and quick, clever play."

BBC Radio 5 Live

You can listen to live radio commentary of Everton v Fulham or Chelsea v Newcastle in this page.

Port Vale v Middlesbrough is on BBC Radio Stoke and Tees, but neither are available online.

Chelsea make just the one change from their win over Sheffield United with Enzo Fernandez replacing Mykhailo Mudryk.

Christopher Nkunku is on the bench, hoping for his debut in English football.

Chelsea XI: Petrovic; Disasi, Silva, Badiashile, Colwill, Fernandez, Caicedo, Palmer, Gallagher, Sterling, Jackson.

Subs: Bettinelli, Bergstrom, Gusto, Maatsen, Gilchrist, Mudryk, Nkunku, Broja, Matos.

Newcastle make three changes from their 3-0 win over Fulham. The injured Fabian Schar is replaced by Sven Botman, making his first start since September.

Joelinton, also injured, is replaced by Lewis Miley and Emil Krafth comes in for Dan Burn.

Newcastle XI: Dubravka, Krafth, Lascelles, Botman, Livramento, Guimaraes, Longstaff, Miley, Almiron, Gordon, Wilson.

Subs: Karius, Gillespie, Trippier, Dummett, Burn, Murphy, Ritchie, Hall.

Newcastle United

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This is Eddie Howe's 100th game in charge of Newcastle since being appointed in November 2021.

In that time Howe has steered the club to the Carabao Cup final and secured a place in the Champions League after a fourth-placed finish.

"I've loved every second of it," said the former Bournemouth boss. "When you look back at a group of games, so many highlights, memories.

"I'm very proud and honoured to hopefully have done 100 games and been through that journey with the club. It's been a really memorable time."

Andy Crosby names an unchanged starting XI for Port Vale's quarter-final tonight.

The Vale beat Wigan 3-2 at the weekend.

Port Vale XI: Ripley; Debrah, Lowe, Balmer; Massey, Ojo, Arblaster, Grant; Devine, Chislett, Garrity.

Subs: Leutwiler, Sang, Smith, Iacovitti, Loft, Ikpeazu, Walters, Dipepa, Lomax.

As for Middlesbrough, they make five changes from their weekend win over Swansea.

Goalkeeper Tom Glover replaces Seny Dieng. Defenders Matt Clarke and Lukas Engel and attackers Morgan Rogers and Samuel Silvera also come into the side.

Middlesbrough XI: Glover; Dijksteel, Fry, Clarke, Engel; Howson, Barlaser; Rogers, Crooks, Silvera; Latte Lath.

Subs: Jones, Coulson, Bangura, Bilongo, Jones, McCabe, Gilbert, Nkrumah, Kavanagh,

Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport at Goodison Park

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Sean Dyche has named a strong Everton starting line-up for the quarter-final clash.

Jarrad Branthwaite and Idrissa Gueye, both suspended for the win over Burnley, return to the side with Ben Godfrey and Abdoulaye Doucoure, who has a hamstring injury, dropping out.

Everton XI: Pickford, Patterson, Keane, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, McNeil, Harrison, Gueye, Onana, Garner, Calvert-Lewin.

Subs: Virginia, Lonergan, Godfrey, Danjuma, Hunt, Metcalfe, Beto, Chermiti, Dobbin.

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Fulham make five changes to the side beaten 3-0 at Newcastle at the weekend.

Kenny Tete, Calvin Bassey, Harrison Reed, Willian and Rodrigo Muniz come in to the side.

Timothy Castagne, Issa Diop, Ton Cairney, Andreas Pereira and the suspended Raul Jimenez miss out.

Alex Iwobi starts against his old club after joining on deadline day in the summer.

Fulham XI: Leno, Tete, Tosin, Bassey, Robinson, Palhinha, Reed, Wilson, Willian, Iwobi, Muniz.

Subs: Rodak, Castagne, Ballo-Toure, Diop, Cairney, Lukic, De Cordova-Reid, Pereira, Vinicius.

Fulham

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Manager Marco Silva believes Fulham’s recent cup runs show the ambition of the club as he aims to lead them to the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

The Whites travel to face Silva’s former club Everton, aiming to reach the last four of a domestic cup competition for the first time in 21 years.

An FA Cup quarter-final loss to Manchester United halted a similar run last season but now Silva wants to go further.

“It’s something that just shows what we have been doing in this football club, the staff and players, in the last two seasons,” he told reporters at this pre-match news conference.

“Last season we went to the quarter-final of the FA Cup and we wanted to go through. We already spoke about the many reasons why we didn’t and now we are one step away from the semi-finals. We have to be proud of it, but we want more. We’re not just happy because we achieve the quarter-finals, we want to play the semi-finals.

“Of course, it’s going to be a tough one, but we have all the desire, the ambition, to go and to play this game and to be in the semi-finals.”

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Middlesbrough won this competition almost 20 years ago in 2004, when Joseph-Desire Job's early goal helped them to a 2-1 victory over Bolton Wanderers at Millennium Stadium.

Steve McClaren was the manager of Boro back then and the side was captained by Gareth Southgate, who, like McClaren, also went on to also manage England.

They beat Everton and Tottenham on penalties before facing Arsenal in the semi-finals, advancing to the final with a 3-1 aggregate win over the Premier League leaders.

It was Middlesbrough's first, and only, major trophy to date.

Chelsea

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Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has urged his players to "fight" and be "aggressive" as he looks to mark his first season with a trophy.

Pochettino's only silverware as a manager is a French league title and cup with Paris St-Germain.

"We want to deliver for the club and for the fans," said Pochettino, who took charge last summer. It's a priority when you're at Chelsea to win a title, it's important so it's in our mind and objectives."

Chelsea have struggled for consistency under Pochettino and sit 10th in the Premier League, 12 points off the top four.

"Of course I want to win a trophy here in England, and win one with Chelsea if we have the opportunity," added the Argentine. "My wish and desire is to win and it's possible.

"We need to respect our opponents, Newcastle are going to be tough, we need to deserve to go through."

Everton

Tonight is Sean Dyche’s first quarter-final as a manager and with a home draw, the prospect of moving closer to what would be Everton’s first silverware since lifting the FA Cup in 1995 is a tantalising prospect not only for him but his players too.

“The cup is huge for us,” said defender Michael Keane.

“We’ve all been desperate to win something with Everton and to have the chance to get to a semi-final, at home as well, it’s going to be a special night.”

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Port Vale, 15th in League One and 26 places below Championship promotion hopefuls Boro, are in the last eight of the competition for the first time in their history.

Vale were drawn at home in the first three rounds, squeezing past Fleetwood (3-2), neighbours Crewe Alexandra (2-0 on penalties after a 0-0 draw) and Sutton United (2-1) before Alfie Devine's early second-half goal earned a 1-0 fourth-round win at Nigel Clough's Mansfield Town.

They beat Wigan 3-2 in their last match at the weekend.

As always you can have your say on any of tonight's action. Get in touch using the usual channels.

Plenty to sink our teeth into then. Cooper gone six days before Christmas, and three tasty quarter-finals.

Oh, and if you're after Manchester City in the Club World Cup semi-finals, we've already got a live text going right here.

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Just joining us? Well, in case you missed it, today's big news is the sacking of Steve Cooper at Nottingham Forest.

Forest confirmed the sacking this afternoon, with former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo in talks to replace him.

Cooper's exit comes with Forest having lost five of their past six games.

The 44-year-old led Forest to promotion to the Premier League in 2022, ending a 23-year absence from the top flight.

Read more here.

It's quarter-final time in the EFL Cup, Wembley isn't too far away.

We've got three Christmas crackers to bring you tonight with resurgent Everton facing Fulham and an all-EFL tie between League One Port Vale and Championship Middlesbrough.

Both of those matches are at 19:45 GMT, with five-time winners Chelsea hosting Newcastle 15 minutes later.

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