Southampton – Middlesbrough

Southampton will be closer to the opponent's victory.

Ten years later, take us back to where we belong was the text on a banner displayed by Middlesbrough supporters on the away stand at Riverside Stadium on Saturday during the first leg of the playoff semifinal against Southampton. It is worth noting that the Borough players in that match did everything to move closer to realizing the fans' dreams already in the first leg of the two-legged tie. A twofold advantage in possession, the goal difference (6-1), corner kicks (11-1), and shots on target (5-0) indicate that at Riverside the football was played only by Middlesbrough. Despite this, Southampton left for home with a positive result for themselves. With such a large margin in the statistics in favor of the hosts, the Saints defended the entire match without conceding a goal, and their goalkeeper Daniel Peretz received the highest rating for his team. Now the home-field advantage will go to Southampton, and for them this is a significant factor. In 23 home matches of the current Championship season, the Saints have lost only twice. And the first such case occurred when Southampton had not yet been coached by Tonda Eckert, under whom the team transformed and took on its current form. Bookmakers have made the home side the favorites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 2.35 on their victory. Middlesbrough has not long ago already gained negative experience participating in Championship playoffs, and therefore they are mobilized to the maximum. Interestingly, in January this year Borough hosted Southampton as part of the regular season and crushed them 4-0. The away match before that ended in a draw 1-1. And again, that draw came during Southampton's spell of poor form. That is, in head-to-head meetings the teams are heavily dependent on their home stadiums. And if the Southampton who were in poor form back then managed to draw at home with Middlesbrough, the team playing well now should be quite capable of beating their opponent. Moreover, Eckert's side has faced Arsenal, Coventry City, and Manchester City this season, among others. Let us place a cautious bet in favor of the home side.