Key events
Preamble
Hello and welcome to Spygate 2.0. The buildup to this Championship playoff semi-final has been dominated by accusations that Southampton have been peaking through the bushes at Middlesbrough’s training ground this week – Saints have now been charged with misconduct by the EFL and will face an independent disciplinary commission “at the earliest opportunity”. The club have said they will be fully cooperating with the EFL throughout the process. Shades of Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds and Frank Lampard’s Derby in 2019 for sure. We’ll get into the weeds, or brambles, of that shortly.
It will certainly make for one hell of an atmosphere at the Riverside this lunchtime as Middlesbrough host Southampton in the first leg on the road to Wembley and the Premier League, with the return fixture at St Mary’s on Tuesday. Kim Hellberg’s Boro saw their push for automatic promotion fade away in the final weeks of the season while Saints have surged up the table under the 33-year-old Tonda Eckert and came close to breaking into the top two themselves.
Fetch your binoculars for kick-off at 12.30pm (BST) and get in touch via email as the action unfolds. Team news will follow.