The third and final place in the Premier League is still up for grabs and will be settled when two of the Championship’s heavyweight clubs go head to head in the play-off final at Wembley.
Middlesbrough face Norwich City in the quest to join champions Bournemouth and Watford in English football’s top division next season.
In what has been one of the tightest promotion races in recent memory, both of these sides could have finished in the top two, but as it is one of them will not even make it out of the division.
Boro dispatched Brentford in the Semi-finals, winning 5-1 on aggregate, whilst the Canaries saw off a spirited challenge from their local rivals Ipswich Town, beating them 4-2 over two legs.
Key Battle – Daniel Ayala vs Cameron Jerome
Norwich manager Alex Neil has plenty of options available to him and any one of the strikers on the books at Carrow Road could cause damage for Boro, but Jerome seems to be the man Neil turns to for the big games. Having scored in the semi against Ipswich, Jerome will be hopeful he can repeat his exploits at Wembley, but will be coming up against a very solid backline, led by the imposing figure of Ayala.
Boro finished the season with the best defensive record in the division, conceding just 25 times from 46 matches. And their remarkably disciplined performances at the back have – arguably – won them games at times. Yes, the likes of Patrick Bamford and Kike have been very succesful in front of goal, but their endeavours may have not been enough were it not for the displays from the likes of Ayala.
The main difference in style between the two finalists is that Aitor Karanka sets out his Boro side in an organised, efficient, and solid fashion, whilst Norwich’s superb quality going forward has seen them score their way to glory. If the Canaries are going to win on Monday, they will need to hope that Ayala and co are not at the top of their game, whilst Boro will have to hope that their defenders do not put a foot wrong if they are to rejoin the Premiership.
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Team News
Middlesbrough have no fresh concerns following their 3-0 win against Brentford, and Karanka therefore has a full strength side to choose from. The big call will be whether to put Bamford back in the side after Lee Tomlin’s goalscoring appearance against Brentford.
With Bamford being called up to the England under-21 squad for this summer’s European Championship, he is full of confidence and should get the nod.
Middlesbrough expected starting XI: Konstantopoulos, Whitehead, Ayala, Gibson, Friend, Leadbitter, Clayton, Bamford, Vossen, Adomah, Kike
For Norwich, the biggest test for Alex Neil will be choosing the right combination of players to beat Boro. They are likely to be unchanged from the side that secured their place in the final.
Norwich City expected starting XI: Ruddy, Whittaker, Martin, Bassong, Olsson, Howson, Tettey, Redmond, Hoolahan, Johnson, Jerome.
Head to Head
The sides have faced off 50 times, with Boro faring better over the years. The Teeside club have been victorious 21 times to Norwich’s 16 wins, with 13 draws between the two.
Previous meeting:
Middlesbrough produced a defensive masterclass to move top of the Championship table with a 1-0 win at Norwich. Alexander Tettey’s own goal was the difference but the scoreline did not tell the full story. The Canaries had 70% of the ball and more than double the number of shots that their visitors managed.
However, despite a second-half onslaught the impressive Boro defenders restricted Norwich to just two shots on target all game – neither coming after half-time. The win completed a league double for Boro following their 4-0 win over Norwich at the Riverside earlier in the season.
Prediction
Whilst both sides have what it takes to score plenty of goals, this match could be decided by which side sets up in the best fashion. Boro boss Karanka has shown he can be shrewd at times this season, and whilst Norwich have been impressive under Alex Neil, a return to the big time after six years in the second tier could be imminent for the North East club.
Norwich will of course be looking to spoil the party and secure an instant return after relegation last season, but Boro’s defensive superiority should be enough to give them the edge in this one.
Middlesbrough 2 Norwich 1
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