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Hull City vs Middlesbrough prediction: Championship play-off final betting tips
Follow our football betting tips as Hull take on Middlesbrough in the Championship Play-Off final.
Becky Ashton Friday 22 May 2026 12:52 BST
Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg has lost sleep during the ‘Spygate’ saga (Andy Commins/PA) (PA Wire).
Hull City vs Middlesbrough betting tips
- Hull to win - 10/3 BetMGM
- McBurnie to score or assist - 13/8 Bet365
Finally, all the talk of ‘spygate’ can be put to one side as Hull City face Middlesbrough in the Championship play-off final with a place in the Premier League at stake (3:30pm, Sky Sports Main Event).
All of the build-up to this one has been dominated by disciplinary commissions, appeals and punishments after Southampton were caught spying on Middlesbrough’s training session before the first leg of their play-off semi-final tie. It was the Saints who came through those play-offs with a 2-1 win at St Mary’s after the first leg ended goalless, only to then be charged by the Football League with spying, resulting in their expulsion from the play-offs.
For Middlesbrough, it’s a second chance, and they are the favourites with betting sites to go up against a Hull side that must have found the build-up tough. They were preparing for a game with Southampton, with the possibility that might not be the case, and their opponents were only confirmed on Wednesday. They snuck into the top six, finishing in that final play-off place, but after drawing 0-0 against third-placed Millwall at home in the first leg, Mohamed Belloumi and Joe Gelhardt scored at the Den to give them a 2-0 win and a place at Wembley.
The Tigers had beaten Southampton twice during the regular season, so they could be forgiven for wanting to face them again on Saturday, but they also got the better of Boro last time out, beating them 1-0 at the Riverside in December. Middlesbrough, on the other hand, always knew the opponents, just not whether they would be the ones playing them, but they kept training and hoping that they would get another chance, and now are 90 minutes from ending a nine-year stay in the Championship.
Hull vs Middlesbrough betting preview: Underdogs can thrive at Wembley
It’s hardly a surprise that Hull are the underdogs on football betting sites, after all, 12 months ago, they only stayed in the league on goal difference, and it was Luton who were relegated. They sacked manager Ruben Selles, who was then appointed and sacked by Sheffield United, and bought in Bosnian Sergej Jakirovic, who had never managed in England, but he has made it look easy. Being the underdogs this weekend will suit them just fine, and despite winning just two of their last eight games of the regular season, they will be confident of a return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017.
Both Hull and Middlesbrough were relegated at the same time, finishing in the bottom three with Sunderland, and one will be guaranteed a return on Saturday. Boro have spent almost the entire season in the top six and were battling it out for automatic promotion for much of the campaign, only to slide away towards the end of the term. Rob Edwards threw the club a curveball back in November when he resigned as manager to join the Premier League’s bottom side Wolves, who could now be replaced by Edwards’ former club. Kim Hellberg has continued where Edwards left off and has won 14 and drawn nine of his 32 games in charge to finish fifth in the league, seven points clear of Hull. They also struggled at the end of the season, with just two wins from their last 10 against the bottom side, Sheffield Wednesday and Watford.
It’s hard to know how much the initial defeat, followed by the confusion and waiting, will have impacted everyone mentally and emotionally at Boro, but we’ll find out at 3.30 pm on Saturday. For Hull, although they didn’t know who they were facing, they were still preparing for one of the biggest games in most of the players’ careers. Given neither side finished the season in great form, the value may lie with the Tigers.
Hull City vs Middlesbrough prediction 1: Hull to win - 10/3 BetMGM
McBurnie to end on a high
Hull striker Ollie McBurnie scored twice on the final day of the season, as the Tigers came from a goal down against Norwich City to win 2-1 and secure their play-off place. They took his tally for the season to 18, and although they have not been enough for him to force his way back into Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for the World Cup, he still has the chance to end the season on the biggest of highs. He has four goals in his last seven games and finished the season with seven assists, too. He’s as big as 3/1 on some betting apps to score at Wembley, or 13/8 to score or assist anytime. This is the highest return for the 29-year-old since he scored 15 as Sheffield United were promoted back to the top-flight.
Hull City vs Middlesbrough prediction 2: McBurnie to score or assist - 13/8 Bet365
Hull City vs Middlesbrough team news
Hull: City will be without striker Kyle Joseph after he suffered an ankle injury in their second-leg win over Millwall. He joins Eliot Matazo and Man United loanee Toby Collyer on the sidelines. Cody Drameh and Amir Hadziahmetovic could come back into contention after returning to training after injury.
Middlesbrough: Tommy Conway is out for Boro after he also suffered an ankle injury in their second leg against Southampton. Ex-Hull defender Alfie Jones will also miss out, while Alex Bangura (muscle) is a doubt. There is good news about midfielder Hayden Hackney, though, who has returned to fitness in time to feature in his first match since March.
Hull City vs Middlesbrough predicted lineups
Hull: Pandur; Hughes, Egan, Ayari; Coyle, Slater, Crooks, Giles; Belloumi, Millar; McBurnie
Middlesbrough: Brynn; Ayling, Malanda, Fry; Brittain, Morris, Hackney, Targett; McGree, Whittaker; Strelec
Free bets for the Championship play-off final
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