Southampton travel to Middlesbrough for the first leg of the Championship playoffs semifinal as the two clubs begin the battle for the final spot in the 2026-27 Premier League, the report says. The match is scheduled for Saturday, May 9 at 12:30 pm BST and will be played at the Riverside Stadium.
Broadcast arrangements are listed in the report: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football will show the game in the UK, Prime Video and Paramount+ in the U.S., FanCode in India and beIN Sports 2 in Australia. The report also notes that ESPN will provide live updates.
Injury and availability updates are outlined in the report. For Middlesbrough, Hayden Hackney (M) is a doubt with a muscle issue, Alfie Jones (D) is a doubt with an ankle problem and Darragh Lenihan (D) is out with an ankle issue. Southampton have doubts over Jack Stephens (D) with a calf problem, while Alex McCarthy (GK) is out with a wrist issue and Mads Roerslev (M) is out with a knee injury. Farai Hallam is named as the referee in the report.
The report highlights Southampton’s form, saying they arrive unbeaten in their final 19 Championship games (W14 D5) and have lost only once in their last 23 matches across competitions, that defeat coming narrowly to Manchester City. The report adds that the only longer league unbeaten streak by Southampton was 22 matches in 2023-24, a season that ended with promotion via the playoffs.
Middlesbrough’s late-season form is presented in contrast. The report says Boro have won twice in their last 10 league matches (5D, 3L) after a strong mid-season run that at one point had them second and in line for automatic promotion. The report also cites xG figures that suggest underperformance in front of goal: 14 scored from 22.3 xG created, and 12 conceded from 11.42 xGA conceded, with the home crowd hoping the team rediscovers its scoring touch for the knockout tie.
