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

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

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

• Competition: EFL Championship Play-offs
• Date: Tuesday, 12th May 2026
• Kick-off: 20:00 BST
• Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
• Referee: Andrew Madley
• Assistant Referees: Nick Hopton and Craig Taylor
• Last Meeting: Middlesbrough 0-0 Southampton, 9th May 2026, Premier League

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 remain sidelined by long-term injuries.