Hull City and Middlesbrough meet at Wembley Stadium this afternoon with a 4:30pm kick-off in the Championship play-off final, with a place in the Premier League up for grabs. It is a one-off match to decide which club earns promotion from the second tier of English football, and it comes with one of the most extraordinary back stories in recent memory.
Southampton were thrown out of the play-offs this week after being found guilty of spying on opponents, and lost their appeal. That means Middlesbrough have been brought back in to face Hull, despite having been knocked out by Southampton in the semi-finals.
Hull beat Millwall in their semi-final and had been preparing to face Southampton, so the late change of opponent has left them a little unsettled. They’ll be looking to become the first sixth-placed side to win promotion to the Premier League since Blackpool did it back in 2009/10. On the plus side, they have a fine record in Championship play-off finals, having won both of their previous appearances, both by a 1-0 scoreline, in 2008 and 2016. They’ve also kept clean sheets in their last two matches, though they have struggled defensively away from home, conceding two or more goals in four of their last six away games.
Middlesbrough only found out on Tuesday that they’d be heading to Wembley, after Southampton were expelled. Their manager Kim Hellberg had apparently been preparing the squad in the hope they’d get a second chance, which will have helped. History is also on their side to a degree, as the fifth-placed team has won three of the last four play-off finals. However, Boro have failed to win in any of their last five trips to Wembley, and have not scored in six of their last seven EFL play-off matches, which is a worrying record heading into a one-off final.
Hull’s top scorer Oli McBurnie has been involved in 24 Championship goals this season and tends to get on the scoresheet early, with five of his last seven goals coming before half-time. For Middlesbrough, Riley McGree has chipped in with six goals, including one against Hull back in December. Tommy Conway is ruled out for Boro, while Kyle Joseph is a doubt for Hull. Hayden Hackney is expected to be fit for Middlesbrough.
In terms of head-to-head record, Middlesbrough have had the better of things lately, winning five of their six Championship matches against Yorkshire opposition this season, though Hull did win the most recent clash between the two sides 1-0.
