ON SATURDAY LUNCHTIME, Middlesbrough welcome Brighton to the Riverside Stadium in a huge Championship clash.
With at least £170m on the table, the result will have huge consequences for both sides.
Here’s the story behind the fixture.
Permutations
Burnley are already assured of a top-flight place for next season but still may not end the campaign as champions.
Aitor Karanka’s Boro are currently in second place, two points behind. But, rather deliciously, they face third-placed Brighton in their final game.
Both sides are on 88 points but a draw will be good enough for Boro to gain automatic promotion because of their better goal difference.
For Brighton, it’s pretty straight-forward: they need to win. Otherwise, they’ll face into the play-offs and Boro will return to the Premier League for the first time since 2009.
Depending on how Burnley fare away to Charlton, victory for the north-east club could see them finish first too.
Form
Boro really shouldn’t have to be facing into such a nervy finale. In truth, they could’ve had their promotion sealed over the last few weeks.
Last month, they were leading Burnley in a crunch game at Turf Moor with 92 minutes gone. But Michael Keane popped up with a last-gasp equaliser and Karanka’s side were left to rue a missed opportunity.
Four days later, they were held scoreless at home by Ipswich and last Friday, there was a third successive draw away to Birmingham.
So, from a possible nine points, they’ve managed just three.
In contrast, Chris Hughton’s Brighton are unbeaten in thirteen games, winning five of their last six.
But they needed a dramatic equaliser from James Wilson last time out to salvage a draw against Derby.
History
When the sides met back in December, Boro easily dispatched Brighton and it was a firm statement of intent too.
Hughton’s team had been on a 21-game unbeaten stretch but it was ripped to shreds as Kike scored after just four minutes while Albert Adomah and Cristhian Stuani added two more later on.
Boro have done well in recent games against Brighton, winning three of their last four league encounters.
But, in their last three visits to the Riverside, Brighton have held Boro scoreless and won two of those games.
So, this seems to be very delicately poised.
Players
Boro’s strength this term has been their defence, certainly not their attack. They don’t boast a striker who has reached double-figures in the league and their top-scorer, David Nugent, who has struck eight times in the Championship, has been used from the bench in recent weeks.
But, Jordan Rhodes was signed from Blackburn in January and he’s found form at the perfect time – hitting five goals in his last seven games.
They’ll look to Daniel Ayala and Ben Gibson to anchor the defence but left-back George Friend may miss out because of injury.
Stewart Downing re-joined Boro at the start of the season and will start on Saturday, as will former Southampton attacker Gaston Ramirez.
For Brighton, Israeli international Tomer Hemed is the main goal threat – he’s scored 17 times in the league, including a hat-trick against Fulham last month.
They will be missing centre-back Lewis Dunk due to suspension while they have a number of former Premier League personnel, notably goalkeeper David Stockdale, Liam Rosenior and Steve Sidwell while James Wilson, on loan from Manchester United, has been used mainly from the bench.
Richie Towell is unlikely to make the squad.
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