• The first leg of this playoff semi-final finished 0-0 at the Riverside Stadium, with Middlesbrough left to rue missed chances.

• It finished 1-1 when the sides met at St Mary’s Stadium in the league this term.

• After drawing the first leg, Southampton are now unbeaten in their last 20 Championship matches.

📈 Southampton v Middlesbrough Form & Stats

Southampton closed out the regular Championship season in remarkable fashion, going unbeaten in their last 19 league matches. If the season started on January 21st, Southampton would have won the league. Unfortunately for the Saints, they had a dismal start to the campaign under Will Still, so they finished 4th. Tonda Eckert has completely transformed his side into one of the in-form teams not only in the Championship, but also in the country. Southampton made it all the way to the FA Cup semi-finals where they were eventually eliminated by Man City at Wembley, and they knocked Arsemal out en route.

Southampton weren’t at their best in the first leg - they were unusually passive in their approach, but they did well to keep a clean sheet in the end, and they have the upper hand in this second leg at home with the scores still level.

Middlesbrough will feel disappointed that they have nothing to show for their dominance, but they should approach this second leg with confidence. The last two times these sides have met at St Mary’s Stadium, it has finished 1-1, and again, it seems like there is little to split the two sides.

📔 Southampton v Middlesbrough Formation & Team News

Tonda Eckert is expected to name an unchanged XI from the first leg, but Ross Stewart could come in to lead the line after Cyle Larin was relatively ineffective. Leo Scienza should continue on the left wing, with Tom Fellows providing energy from the opposite flank. Downes looks set to retain his starting spot, while Shea Charles could return to partner him, which could see Caspar Jander drop to the bench. Jack Stephens has returned to training, but Nathan Wood should continue at the back.

After how they performed in the first leg, Middlesbrough are unlikely to make any changes here. Tommy Conway, Morgan Whittaker and David Strelec should feature in the front three, with Riley McGree alongside Aidan Morris in midfield. Alan Browne could be an option to come in for McGree, while Hayden Hackney has also recently returned to training, so they could be in contention to play a role.

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