Southampton vs Middlesbrough - prediction, team news, lineups

After past week's first-leg goalless gully astatine The Riverside Stadium, Southampton and Middlesbrough volition implicit their arguable conflict for a Championship playoff last spot erstwhile they conscionable successful their semi-final 2nd limb connected Tuesday.

The hosts sealed location vantage for the decisive 2nd limb astatine St Mary's by finishing supra their opponents successful the Championship table connected extremity difference, with the necktie acceptable to beryllium remembered for the antics dubbed 'Spygate 2.0'.

Match preview

Southampton caput backmost to St Mary's connected Tuesday aiming to determination wrong 1 crippled of making an contiguous instrumentality to the Premier League.

They took a playoff spot by earning 68 points from 33 matches nether Tonda Eckert, who arrived successful November, to decorativeness connected 80 wide aft a dilatory start.

That was mostly down to an eye-catching tally to extremity the run and clang the promotion fight, having gone 19 games unbeaten including 14 wins, culminating successful a final-day 3-1 distant triumph implicit Preston North End to instrumentality 4th spot acknowledgment to goals from Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Ross Stewart and Cyle Larin.

Then heading into the playoffs arsenic the signifier team, the Saints travelled northbound for the archetypal limb connected Saturday amid off-field sound astir a subordinate of unit spying connected a Middlesbrough grooming session, and portion awaiting confirmation of immoderate punishment for the misconduct, they were capable to travel distant connected level presumption aft a goalless stalemate.

Now heading into the decisive 2nd limb with location vantage connected their side, Southampton volition bid to travel retired connected apical and widen their agelong Championship unbeaten streak with a triumph to publication a 2nd travel to Wembley successful a substance of weeks aft their FA Cup semi-final adjacent telephone against Manchester City.

Their visitors, meanwhile, marque the agelong travel southbound aiming to marque it 4 Championship games unbeaten against Southampton this word including 2 wins to determination person to a Premier League instrumentality for the archetypal clip since 2016-17.

Middlesbrough recovered themselves successful the automatic promotion combat for the immense bulk of the Championship play but would yet decorativeness 5th connected 80 points from their 46 games, 4 abbreviated of the apical two.

They were outgo by a seven-game winless tally betwixt mid-March and mid-April, including 3 defeats, earlier Kim Hellberg's broadside were astatine slightest capable to extremity the regular play with a brace of wins and an distant gully against Wrexham.

Then turning their absorption to a playoff semi-final each but overshadowed by the off-field 'spygate 2.0' antics of their opponents, Middlesbrough failed to marque their domination number past play connected location turf, alternatively settling for a goalless gully leaving everything successful the equilibrium up of the St Mary's trip.

Hellberg's men present cognize that if they are to punch their summons to Wembley, they indispensable prevail distant from location to settee the tie.

Southampton Championship form:

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Southampton signifier (all competitions):

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Middlesbrough Championship form:

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Team News

Southampton stay incapable to telephone connected defenders Jack Stephens and Mads Roerslev connected Tuesday owed to ongoing injuries.

They should tract a akin starting XI to Saturday's archetypal leg, with Nathan Wood and Taylor Harwood-Bellis bound to proceed successful the mediate of a backmost four, though Shea Charles volition anticipation to displace Flynn Downes oregon Caspar Jander and commencement successful midfield.

Cyle Larin volition anticipation to again pb the line, having netted 8 league goals since his January arrival, but helium faces contention from Ross Stewart, portion Leo Scienza, erstwhile Middlesbrough antheral Finn Azaz and Tom Fellows should proceed down the preferred beforehand man.

Middlesbrough are inactive without centre-backs Alfie Jones and Darragh Lenihan alongside Alex Bangura, portion prima midfielder Hayden Hackney besides remains sidelined and is improbable to instrumentality from the contented that has ruled him retired since mid-March.

In his absence, Riley McGree joined mainstay Aidan Morris successful midfield connected Saturday, but Alan Browne whitethorn beryllium brought successful to fortify their cardinal unit.

Ahead of them, David Strelec, Morgan Whittaker and Tommy Conway volition each anticipation to support their spots successful attack, having netted eight, 13 and 14 league goals respectively this term.

Southampton imaginable starting lineup:

Peretz; Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Manning; Charles, Jelert; Fellows, Azaz, Scienza; Stewart

Middlesbrough imaginable starting lineup:

Brynn; Ayling, Fry, Malanda; Brittain, Morris, Browne, Targett; Whittaker, Conway, McGree

We say: Southampton 2-1 Middlesbrough (Southampton triumph 2-1 connected aggregate)

Like Saturday's archetypal leg, we tin lone envisage Tuesday's crippled being a choky and hard-fought matter and springiness a flimsy borderline to Southampton with location advantage.

Given their formidable tally successful the 2nd fractional of the campaign, the prime passim their squad and the nonaccomplishment of Hackney for the visitors, Eckert's broadside should backmost themselves to get implicit the enactment and publication their Wembley ticket.

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