Eager to chase down the leaders, Southampton will host Middlesbrough at St. Mary’s Stadium in the EFL Championship Week 39. Starting whistle will blow on March 29, at 4 PM CET.
Southampton
Spending more than a decade in a Premier League before getting relegated last season, Southampton does not plan on sticking around in the EFL Championship, as the Saints are seeking the direct promotion the very next year.
Currently sitting fourth, Southampton is nine points behind Leeds United and Leicester City, but have a postponed date with the Foxes due to the latter’s success in the FA Cup. A February slump, which dropped the Saints from being closer to top-2, turned into a pair of thrillers in March, as Southampton had to score eight combined goals to scrape by Birmingham City and Sunderland before resting for a week.
Middlesbrough
While Southampton got relegated last season, Middlesbrough had not been to the Premier League since 2017, when the team from Riverside got sent down to the Championship.
With only eight games remaining on their schedule, being seven points down to sixth place Norwich City looks to keep Boro outside of the playoffs zone, but the recent form tells a different story. After losing in Stoke-on-Trent on March 2, Boro scored 10 points in just four games, only allowing one goal, as they will travel to Southampton in search for a season sweep.
Prediction ⚽️
An even game at Riverside in the first round ended with a “2-1” victory to the hosts, but now Boro will have to travel all the way south to keep their hopes of going back to EPL alive.
Between Southampton’s furious attack and Middlesbrough’ stingy defense, something will have to give on Friday. We will play a hot hand in the visitors not losing in this one, with the massive 2.41 odds 🔥.