Southampton Strong Favourites to Secure Premier League Spot

Southampton take on Hull City in the EFL Championship play-off final after seeing off Middlesbrough in a feisty two-legged semi-final. Will the Saints complete the job and secure an instant return to the Premier League?

The Semi-Final Story

Hull were first to book their place at Wembley Stadium, getting the better of Millwall over two legs. After a goalless draw at the MKM Stadium, the Tigers claimed a deserved 2-0 victory at The Den.

Mohamed Belloumi came off the bench to be the star of the show in London. The Algerian opened the scoring with an excellent finish before teeing up teammate Joe Geldhardt for the second.

‘Spygate’ dominated the headlines before the Middlesbrough-Southampton semi-final, but the players did the talking on the pitch. Boro should have won the first leg at the Riverside Stadium, but the Saints held on for a 0-0 draw.

The second leg at St Mary’s was another tight and tense tussle, with the game going to extra time. Riley McGree put Boro in front early, but Ross Stewart levelled just before the break. Shea Charles was the hero, netting in the 116th minute to put the Saints through.

Saints Odds-On at Wembley

Spygate sanctions aside, Southampton will head to England’s capital as the strong favourites. Tonda Eckert’s men are priced at betting odds of just 4/5 to win in the 90.

Hull have done exceptionally well to get this far, considering where they were a year ago. The Tigers have been one of the surprise packages in the Championship this term, and Sergej Jakirovic’s troops are priced at 7/2 to cause an upset and win in normal time.

Hull won both matches in the regular season, scoring five and conceding two. On home turf in September, Kyle Joseph, John Lundstram, and Oli McBurnie were on target in a 3-1 win.

The most recent meeting ended in a 2-1 victory for the Tigers at St Mary’s, with Joseph and Charlie Hughes getting the goals. Can Hull stun the Saints just one more time?