Aitor Karanka drops emotional Middlesbrough message ahead of Southampton play-off semi | OneFootball

Aitor Karanka has wished former club Middlesbrough well as they look to win promotion to the Premier League for the first time since his side went up.

Middlesbrough are preparing for their huge play-off semi-final against Southampton, as they look to win promotion back to the Premier League for the first time in ten years.

It has been a turbulent season for Boro, as they saw boss Rob Edwards leave for Wolves after a positive start, with Kim Hellberg named as his replacement.

The Swede implemented a great style of play that made the team such an attractive watch, as well as getting results, but a poor run earlier this year saw Boro miss out on a top two place.

Nevertheless, promotion remains a real possibility, and Middlesbrough head into the Saints fixture in good form, as they’re unbeaten in four, scoring ten goals in that period.

Aitor Karanka sends passionate Middlesbrough message

Of course, Southampton will be a stern test, as Tonda Eckert’s side last lost a league game in January, but Boro will be full of confidence, and the atmosphere at the Riverside Stadium is sure to be rocking.

If Boro do go up, it will be ten years since they last celebrated promotion, with Aitor Karanka the last manager to lead the club to the Premier League.

So, Hellberg will look to replicate that, and the Spaniard sent a passionate message on social media as he reflected on his own promotion a decade ago, as well as wishing the current crop well.

Karanka’s side went up automatically after coming second during what was a thrilling Championship campaign, with Boro securing promotion on a dramatic final day when they came up against rivals Brighton knowing a defeat would’ve seen them fall into the play-offs.

Middlesbrough have the quality to win promotion

The supporters will appreciate this from Karanka, and he will be fondly remembered by the Boro fans due to that memorable promotion.

As we know, Boro were relegated the following season, and the fact they haven’t returned to the top flight since then shows just how difficult it can be to win promotion.

Clearly, Southampton are a major obstacle for Boro to overcome before facing either Hull or Millwall, as they have been the form team in the country over the past few months.

But, Boro still have genuine quality that can cause major problems for any team at this level, and there have been some signs in the past few games that some of their attacking players are getting back to their best level.

The likes of Tommy Conway, Morgan Whittaker and David Strelec will have big roles to play, and they will need to make decisive impacts if Boro are to reach Wembley, so their recent performances are encouraging.

Middlesbrough can also take optimism from picking up four points over Saints in the regular season, which included a 4-0 thrashing at the start of the year.