Preview: Hull City vs Middlesbrough - prediction, team news, lineups

Following Southampton’s expulsion over the spygate scandal, Middlesbrough will face Hull City in the Championship playoff final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The victors of this huge contest, dubbed ‘the richest game in football’, will join second-tier champions Coventry City and Ipswich Town in the Premier League next season.

Match preview

Hull have known they will compete under the famous Wembley arch for over a week after their surprising yet deserved 2-0 playoff semi-final win over Millwall, but their preparations for Saturday’s showpiece have been disrupted by all the chaos that has unfolded at Southampton.

Head coach Sergej Jakirovic feels that his team have been "collateral damage" in the off-field drama. Nevertheless, the Tigers will be roared on by more than 30,000 supporters in the capital as they bid to end their nine-year hiatus from the Premier League and become the first side to secure promotion after finishing sixth in the playoffs since Blackpool in the 2009-10 campaign.

Last season, Hull narrowly avoided relegation to League One on goal difference and were then given a transfer embargo in July 2025, but Jakirovic has since transformed his spirited side into genuine promotion contenders, accumulating 24 points more than the previous campaign.

A run of just two wins in 11 games saw Hull drop out of the playoffs before they climbed back in on the final weekend of the 46-game campaign with a crucial 2-1 win over Norwich City. Having also dispatched Millwall over two legs, the Tigers are now on the brink of a somewhat surprising promotion to the top flight.

Hull will take comfort from having won their previous two Championship playoff finals in 2008 and 2016, both by a 1-0 scoreline, while they also beat Middlesbrough 1-0 at the Riverside in their most recent encounter in December, so they have reason to be optimistic of success this weekend.

It is fair to say that Middlesbrough’s route to the Championship playoff final has been tumultuous. After losing 2-1 on aggregate to Southampton in the semi-finals, Boro were handed a dramatic lifeline on Wednesday when the Saints' appeal against expulsion was officially rejected.

After having a chance to briefly clear his mind and spend time with his son in his native Sweden, head coach Kim Hellberg has since admitted that it was “impossible” for his players to train during a “crazy” period of uncertainty, leaving him unsure if they will be mentally ready for Saturday’s showpiece.

Nevertheless, Middlesbrough will feel that justice has prevailed and they will now be looking to secure promotion back to the Premier League for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign. In their previous two second-tier playoff finals, Boro beat Chelsea over two legs back in 1987-88 and lost 2-0 to Norwich in 2014-15.

At Wembley, meanwhile, Middlesbrough have interestingly never won in five attempts, losing four of those in 90 minutes without scoring, though this weekend’s match is just their second at the home of football this century after the aforementioned defeat to Norwich.

Perhaps a lucky omen for Hellberg’s side is that the team finishing fifth in the Championship (Middlesbrough this season) have won three of their last four playoff final appearances. Boro themselves have also won three of their last four playoff finals, while they have only lost two of their last eight encounters with Hull across all competitions (W5 D1).

Hull City Championship form:

Middlesbrough Championship form:

Team News

Hull will be without striker Kyle Joseph who sustained an ankle injury in their second-leg win over Millwall. Eliot Matazo (ACL) and Man United loanee Toby Collyer (ankle) are also unavailable, though the latter is expected to supporting the Tigers at Wembley.

Cody Drameh and Amir Hadziahmetovic, meanwhile, have both training, are in “good condition” and are in contention to play this weekend after recovering from injury. David Akintola is also available for selection after taking the place of Matazo in the first-team squad, following EFL approval.

Only Swansea’s Zan Vipotnik (26) has been involved in more Championship goals this season (including playoffs) than Hull striker Oli McBurnie (24 - 17 goals, seven assists). He is expected to lead the line and could be supported in attack by Liam Millar and either Joe Gelhardt or Mohamed Belloumi.

As for Middlesbrough, Tommy Conway is ruled out with an ankle injury sustained in the second leg against Southampton, which now requires surgery. Ex-Hull defender Alfie Jones (ankle) is also out, while Alex Bangura (muscle) is a doubt.

However, key midfielder Hayden Hackney is "fit, absolutely" and could be ready to start having taken part in training this week. The Championship Player of the Season being sidelined since March with a calf injury, but he could feature in the middle of the pitch alongside Aidan Morris and/or Riley McGree.

Morgan Whittaker, who has scored a team-high 14 goals this season, will likely start in attack with Slovakian striker David Strelec, while the rest of the side that began the last match against the Saints could remain intact, with Luke Ayling, Adilson Malanda and Dayl Fry all keeping their spots in the back three.

Hull City possible starting lineup:

Pandur; Hughes, Egan, Ayari; Coyle, Slater, Crooks, Giles; Belloumi, Millar; McBurnie

Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:

Brynn; Ayling, Malanda, Fry; Brittain, Morris, Hackney, Targett; McGree, Whittaker; Strelec

We say: Hull City 1-2 Middlesbrough (A.E.T)

Nine of the last 10 Championship playoff finals have been decided by a single goal or have gone beyond the 90 minutes, so another closely-contested battle could be in store on Saturday.

Both squads have endured severe logistical and mental disruption leading up to Wembley, but they will be as motivated as ever by the Premier League prize that awaits the winner of this huge £200m match.

Although Middlesbrough will have only had a couple of days to officially prepare for this contest, they may just have enough quality to snatch victory in a tense final that could be decided in extra time.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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