Southampton vs Middlesbrough: Play-off semi-final preview and team news | OneFootball

Southampton host Middlesbrough in the second leg of the Championship play-off semi-finals tonight. 

The match is perfectly poised after the first leg ended in a goalless draw at the Riverside Stadium, but all the focus this week has centred around accusations of spying and cheating.

Saints have been charged by the EFL after Boro claimed that a member of Saints’ coaching staff was caught watching and recording one of their training sessions. The controversy has been dubbed Spygate 2.0.

It wouldn’t be the play-offs if there wasn’t drama and we should definitely get our fill of it on the pitch as well. This is an incredibly hard game to call between two teams that ended the league campaign with near identical records; they finished fourth and fifth respectively on 80 points, with a record of 22 wins, 14 draws and 10 defeats each.

Southampton will have home advantage, but Middlesbrough did hand them their biggest loss of the season when they beat them 4-0 at home back in January. And the north east outfit won’t lack for motivation when they meet for the fourth time this term.

Southampton vs Middlesbrough: Play-off semi-final preview and team news

Southampton team news

Amid the controversy surrounding the club, Saints boss Tonda Eckert did not hold a pre-match press conference ahead of the second leg.

Kuryu Matsuki made his return in the opening leg, while Jack Stephens continues his recovery from injury. Goalkeeper Alex McCarthy and midfielder Mads Roerslev remain sidelined by long-term injuries.

Middlesbrough team news

Full-back Alex Bangura and midfielder Hayden Hackney could be included in the matchday squad as they close in on returns form injury. Alfie Jones and Darragh Lenihan are sidelined by long-term issues.

Form

Southampton: DLDWD

A phenomenal run of results in the second half of the season saw Southampton storm into the top six and even threaten to finish in the automatic promotion spots. But their form has stuttered in recent weeks.

Their eight-match winning streak in all competitions was ended in late April when they drew with Bristol City before losing to Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals. They drew with second-placed Ipswich Town before beating Preston on the final day.

Middlesbrough: DWWDD

While Saints were flying in the final months of the campaign, Boro looked like they might blow their chance at the play-offs, going on a seven-game winless streak over a five-week period.

Kim Hellberg’s men have managed to steady the ship over the last month, going unbeaten in their last five matches to put them one match away from a shot at the Premier League.

Predicted lineups

Southampton possible starting XI:

Peretz; Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Manning; Jander, Downes; Fellows, Azaz, Scienza; Larin.

Middlesbrough possible starting XI:

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

How to watch Southampton vs Middlesbrough?

The play-offs are being broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Even and Sky Sports Football.

Read – Drama, heartache and loadsamoney – why the Play-Offs might be the best thing in football

See Also – Premier League Awards: Has VAR handed Arsenal the title?

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