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Watch Middlesbrough vs Southampton today in a mouth-watering Championship play-off semi-final first leg at the Riverside Stadium, with FourFourTwo bringing you all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.
- Kick-off time: 12:30pm BST / 7:30am ET / 9.30pm AEST
- TV & Streaming: Sky Sports (UK), Paramount+ (USA), beIn Sports (Australia)
- Watch from anywhere: Get 75% off NordVPN
That saw Tonda Eckert's men leapfrog Boro into fourth place on the final day of the campaign, but whether that has any bearing on this semi-final remains to be seen.
Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information on how to watch Middlesbrough vs Southampton online, on TV, and from anywhere.
Watch Middlesbrough vs Southampton from anywhere
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Watch Middlesbrough vs Southampton in the UK
Sky Sports is the sole broadcaster of the EFL in the UK and they are showing Middlesbrough vs Southampton live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football. Kick-off is at 12.30pm on Saturday.
Watch Middlesbrough vs Southampton in the US
Middlesbrough vs Southampton will be shown on Paramount+ in the United States.
How to watch Middlesbrough vs Southampton in Australia
In Australia, you can watch Middlesbrough vs Southampton on beIN Sports, where new users can benefit from a 7-day free trial.
The game will be shown live on beIN Sports 2.
See also ► Championship, League One and League Two TV guide
Middlesbrough vs Southampton: Championship preview
Although the Championship table suggests there is nothing to choose between these two sides, the form book tells a different story.
Middlesbrough hit the front of the promotion race when they went top of the table with a 2-1 victory at Sheffield United on February 9, but instead of streaking clear they stumbled over the line. Kim Hellberg's side won just four of their final 15 games to fall out of the running for the title, although they still held a faint hope of finishing in the top two going into the final day.
Boro have at least found some form heading into the play-offs, with creditable 2-2 draws at Ipswich Town and Wrexham sandwiching home victories over Sheffield Wednesday and Watford, offering fans fresh hope of a return to the Premier League after nine years away.
A lot could depend on the fitness of Championship Player of the Season Hayden Hackney, who has missed Middlesbrough's last eight games with a calf injury. The midfielder resumed light training this week so Hellberg will hope to have him available for at least one of the two legs of this semi-final.
See also ► Football fixtures: Interactive 2025/26 calendar for every competition
Southampton are one of the form teams in the country, let alone the Championship, having ended the regular campaign on a 19-match unbeaten run in the league. Throw in an FA Cup quarter-final win over Champions League finalists and Premier League leaders Arsenal, before pushing Manchester City all the way in the semi-final, and Saints could hardly be in better shape.
It is a stark contrast to the opening three months of the campaign, when Southampton won just two of their opening 13 games under former boss Will Still. Step forward Tonda Eckert, the club's Under 21s head coach then aged just 32, who replaced the Englishman on an interim basis but did so well that he got the job full-time.
Saints' star-studded squad have certainly fulfilled their potential under Eckert and have a strong claim to be considered the best team in the Championship since the turn of the year. They also have the big-game experience gained from their FA Cup run, so that could prove beneficial.
It means Southampton should not need to find an extra edge for this semi-final, yet their performance analyst was allegedly caught recording Boro's training session on Thursday afternoon, with the EFL subsequently launching an investigation. That should add an extra layer of spice to an already mouth-watering tie.
FourFourTwo's prediction
Middlesbrough 1-3 Southampton
FourFourTwo expects Saints to take control of this tie with a first-leg victory at the Riverside.
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