Middlesbrough vs Southampton Championship play-off preview, team news and prediction

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Middlesbrough welcome Southampton to the Riverside Stadium on Saturday afternoon for the first-leg of their Championship play-off semi-final. Both sides arrived at the end of the regular season on four-match unbeaten runs, but it was Southampton who edged fourth spot, finishing above Middlesbrough in fifth.

The bookies are expecting the hosts to come out with a lead on aggregate with Boro the favourites at 23/20 with BetGoodwin while Southampton are You can also find more betting offers at the Mirror Betting Hubs Free Bets offers .

For Boro, the final placing will feel underwhelming after spending long spells in the promotion picture. A seven-game winless run between March 11 and April 19 proved costly, leaving Kim Hellberg’s side four points shy of the top two. Middlesbrough did pick up late momentum, beating Sheffield Wednesday and Watford before signing off with a 2-2 draw away at Wrexham on the final weekend.

While they collected 42 points from 23 home matches across the campaign, those wins over Wednesday and Watford also ended a long wait for a Riverside victory, with Boro having gone without one since January 31.

Southampton, meanwhile, have hit a slight bump by their standards, going three matches without a win in all competitions. That sequence included a 2-1 FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City and a 2-2 draw with Ipswich, but the Saints ended the league season with a timely 3-1 win at Preston. That result ensured they finished above Middlesbrough on goal difference and secured home advantage for the second leg.

In the Championship, Southampton are unbeaten in 19 games (14 wins, five draws) and were the division’s strongest points-gatherers from January 21 onwards, collecting 10 more than any other side. However, their run did not include Middlesbrough—who thrashed the Saints 4-0 at the Riverside in the league meeting on January 4.

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