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The second of the two Championship playoff semi-final's gets underway on Saturday afternoon when Kim Hellberg's Middlesbrough welcome Tonda Eckert's Southampton to Riverside Stadium.
Boro spent much of the campaign occupying the automatic promotion places and challenging Coventry City for the title, but a difficult second half of the season saw them lose momentum and eventually settle for fifth place.
Southampton, meanwhile, enjoyed a remarkable turnaround after sitting just three points above the relegation zone earlier in the campaign under Will Still.
Since Eckert’s arrival, the Saints have not only pulled clear of danger but mounted an unlikely promotion charge of their own.
A 3-1 win away at Preston North End on the final day secured fourth place for Southampton and extended their unbeaten league run to 19 matches.
Both sides finished the regular season on 80 points, although the Saints claimed the higher position thanks to a superior goal difference.
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Middlesbrough vs Southampton key stats
- This is Southampton’s third appearance in the Championship play-offs, losing to Derby in the 2006-07 semi-final before beating Leeds in the final at Wembley in 2023-24.
- Middlesbrough have won the first leg in just one of their previous five Football League playoff semi final ties, recording a 2-1 victory away at Brentford during the 2014-15 campaign, while drawing two and losing two of the other first legs.
- After winning four of their five meetings with Middlesbrough between 2005 and 2017, Southampton are now without a victory in their last four encounters against Boro, drawing two and losing two.
Middlesbrough vs Southampton preview: Who will take the upper hand in the first leg?
| Middlesbrough | vs | Southampton |
|---|---|---|
| 5th | Position | 4th |
| 80 | Points | 80 |
| 72 | Goals For | 82 |
| 47 | Goals Against | 56 |
| 13 | Clean Sheets | 11 |
| 5th | Home Rank | 3rd |
| 3rd | Away Rank | 4th |
The final day of the regular season saw Middlesbrough held to a chaotic 2-2 draw away at Wrexham, a result that summed up a frustrating end to the campaign and raised further questions over whether they have the momentum needed to secure promotion.
Despite their patchy recent form, Hellberg’s side still entered the final weekend with a chance of automatic promotion, but Ipswich Town’s victory combined with Boro’s draw in Wales confirmed that the playoffs would be their only route to the Premier League.
A 13th goal of the season from Tommy Conway put Boro 1-0 up after five minutes before strikes from Wrexham duo Josh Windass and Sam Smith put the Welsh side ahead just before the break, the North Yorkshire side looked to be heading into the break behind but David Strelec was able to equalise and cap off a chaotic opening 45 minutes.
Despite the frenetic first half, the contest ended 2-2 and ensured the Teessiders finished the Championship season fifth.
One area for concern ahead of the huge semi-final is the fitness of Hayden Hackney, he has been out injured since 14 March and in his absence Middlesbrough have dropped from second to fifth, winning just two of the eight games he had missed.
Boro supporters will be desperate to see the Championship Player of the Season return in time for the biggest matches of their campaign.
Southampton, meanwhile, head into the playoffs as one of the form teams in the country and recently enjoyed an FA Cup semi final appearance at Wembley, where they suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Manchester City.
Such has been the impact of Eckert that the German coach is now chasing a third consecutive Manager of the Month award after winning the prize in both February and March, while also earning a nomination for April. He has also confirmed that Southampton will travel to Teesside at full strength.
Goals from Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Ross Stewart and Cyle Larlin helped Southampton to a 3-1 win away at Preston North End and ensured they enter the playoff phase of the season with the best possible momentum behind them, something that is crucial for sides taking the longer route to the Premier League.
The sides will meet this Saturday in the first leg before their fate is sealed at St Mary's on Tuesday night, one of the two sides will then face either Hull City or Millwall at Wembley on Saturday, 23 May.
Middlesbrough vs Southampton form guide & betting tips
| Middlesbrough | vs | Southampton |
|---|---|---|
| L-D-W-W-D | League Form | W-W-D-D-W |
| 8 | Points | 11 |
| 8th | Form Table | 1st |
| 12 | Goals For | 14 |
| 8 | Goals Against | 7 |
| W-W-D | Form (all comps) | D-L-W |
Whispers predicts: Middlesbrough 1-2 Southampton
Southampton head into the semi finals in exceptional league form, although they have won just one of their last three matches in all competitions, suggesting this tie could be closer than recent form may indicate.
The two sides have scored 26 goals between them across their last six outings so it is no surprise to see that over 2.5 goals comes in at 15/4.
BTTS - Yes is priced at 4/5 while a win for the travelling side is 11/5.
We expect the Saints to take a narrow advantage back to the South Coast with a 2-1 first leg victory, a scoreline currently priced at 25/1 with the bookmakers.
> Over 2.5 Goals | Likelihood: Probable
> Both Teams to Score | Likelihood: Possible
> Morgan Whittaker to score anytime | Likelihood: Possible