Southampton

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After falling short in the race for automatic promotion, Southampton head to Preston for the Championship season finale on Saturday (12:30 BST) in a game which will determine their play-off position.

Saints are unbeaten in 18 league games, though Ipswich's late equaliser at St Mary's means they can only finish between third and fifth, depending how Millwall and Middlesbrough fare on the final day.

Despite having been firmly in the play-off picture themselves until the final third of the season, Preston are on-course for a familiar mid-table position, sitting 12th after Saturday's 3-2 win at Sheffield United.

• After their 2-0 win in November, Preston could complete their fourth ever league double over Southampton, after 1933-34, 1963-64, and 2007-08.

• Although Southampton have only won one of their past 11 league visits to Preston (D5 L5), they are unbeaten in the last two (W1 D1).

• Preston have only won their final league game in three of the past 14 seasons (D4 L7), most recently against Middlesbrough in 2021-22 (4-1).

• Southampton have won their final league game in seven of their past eight seasons outside of the Premier League, losing the other 3-1 to Nottingham Forest in 2008-09.

• Southampton have won six of their past seven away league games (D1), including the last three in a row. The Saints haven't won four on the bounce on the road since January 2020.

It is set to be an "absolutely brilliant" final day of the Championship promotion race on which "anything can happen", according to the BBC's 72+ EFL podcast team.

Tuesday's dramatic 2-2 draw between Southampton and Ipswich has left Town, Millwall and Middlesbrough to fight it out for the second automatic promotion place in the 46th and final round of games on Saturday (12:30 BST).

Ipswich are in pole position, a point ahead of Millwall, with a goal difference advantage of +17 on the Lions, but with Boro a point further back. Town know they must beat QPR at Portman Road to secure an immediate return to the Premier League.

Middlesbrough are at Wrexham, who need to secure a play-off spot, while Millwall host already-relegated Oxford United.

"It was a brilliant game," said EFL pundit Jobi McAnuff.

"We have spoken all season about how open the Championship has been. Coventry have been by far and away the best team, worthy winners, but for it to go into the last Saturday [is fantastic].

"Millwall, the team that just won't go away, they're still hanging in there, Middlesbrough, the team off the back of really poor form but with a couple of good results of late, anything can happen, it's going to be absolutely brilliant on Saturday."

Despite extending their unbeaten league run to 18 games, Saints bowed out of the race, sitting four points behind Ipswich, and will need to win the play-offs if they are to secure their own top-flight return.

"It's been a fantastic run. Everyone from afar was hoping they'd get in there, It's Roy of the Rovers stuff," said Bristol Rovers boss Steve Evans.

"In fairness, probably the teams that have been more consistent and better over the course of the season, they're the ones who are going to fight the final day shootout."

Even though he believes Ipswich have been "underwhelming" this season, McAnuff said he expects the Tractor Boys to prevail.

He said: "I expect them to go and finish the job now at home. They have got through what was a tricky run of away games ,which has really been their Achilles heel.

"Big win at Charlton, [point at] West Brom on Saturday and follow up by getting a point at the form team [Southampton].

"I think Kieran McKenna would have taken that before - make sure they're going into the last game of the season very much in control.

"We associate McKenna and Ipswich with that all-out attacking free-flowing football, they haven't found that rhythm this season, they have been a bit underwhelming, I have to say, with the quality they have in their squad.

"I believe they will get over the line but with this squad that's the bare minimum they should be doing this season."

Evans fears for McKenna's future if he is unable to guide Ipswich back to the Premier League.

"If Ipswich turn up and play as they can at Portman Road they'll be in the Premier League," he said.

"If they drop to the play-offs and lose and Kieran McKenna doesn't lead them to the Premier League then he might not lead them anywhere, that's how ruthless football is."

Southampton boss Tonda Eckert said that his side can "find a way" to win the play-offs and seal a return to the Premier League.

With one game remaining, Saints can no longer finish inside the automatic promotion places in the Championship following a 2-2 draw with Ipswich Town.

Eckert's side went behind in the second half before goals from Ryan Manning and Cyle Larin put them ahead at St Mary's.

But Jack Clarke scored late on to level the game up and share the points, with Saints now bound for the play-offs.

"I think it was a very good performance," Eckert told BBC Radio Solent.

"It was two quality teams in the Championship who had a proper go to win a game of football.

"In the beginning of the second half we came out very strong and I think their goal was a bit unnecessary.

"It shows where we are at this moment and the character of the team to find a way back in the game, I think that we deserve to go up and we just need to find a way to get these games over the line.

"At least we have clarity now, we know what's coming up and we know that the season's going to be extended by another three weeks, we'll find a way to do it through the play-offs."

Southampton play their final regular game of the Championship season away to Preston North End on Saturday.

Image source, Shutterstock

Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert has praised Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna and described their ability to bounce back and compete for promotion as "remarkable".

The Tractor Boys were relegated from the Premier League along with Saints last season and have since established themselves as one of the dominant teams Championship.

These two sides meet on Tuesday night at St Mary's with the chance to go up automatically - Eckert's side are four points off the top two and Ipswich in the driving seat, sitting second.

"Ipswich have been a good team for many years now," the Saints boss told BBC Radio Solent.

"I find it quite remarkable if you're able to just reset after the summer. It's not easy to leave the disappointment behind and then go again after relegation.

"I don't need to say anything about him (McKenna) or how he sets up his team because he is one of the best. It's a very remarkable job that he's done."

At the weekend, Southampton's 20-game unbeaten came to an end as they were knocked out the FA Cup by Manchester City.

Despite having such a big game in the league so soon after their cup loss on Saturday, Eckert is confident that his side can bounce back themselves and return to winning ways.

"For most of the time we have tried to close the games very quickly on that afternoon or night," he said.

"We try to leave the emotions around that out of the system quite quickly and then you open up a new page and there's another game coming up.

"We were focused on the FA Cup while the other teams are playing in the Championship. We now have a clearer image of what the table looks like, but that doesn't really make a big difference for us and how we approach the game.

"We've done this for every single game that we've gone into. We'll do everything and put the best starting 11 out to win the game."

Glen De La Cour
Southampton FC fan writer

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Southampton fans travelled to Wembley for the FA Cup semi‑final against Manchester City with hope more than expectation.

We knew we'd win the battle off the pitch - our support is always exceptional on the big days - but the question was whether our team, on a 20‑match unbeaten run, could trouble the best team in England in their second home?

Yes it could.

Tonda Eckert, who has managed fewer games (35) than Pep Guardiola has won trophies (40), produced a gameplan that that was executed perfectly as we arrived in the 79th minute, goalless.

You often hear a phrase these days that games are decided by moments… and did we have a moment?

Finn Azaz pirouetted onto a square pass from Kuryu Matsuki and curled a stunning effort beyond James Trafford.

Pandemonium amongst the yellow wall at the west end of Wembley and for two surreal minutes, it was on.

We had, however, poked the bear, and the gameplan of defending the penalty area was no longer enough as City, now reinforced by Pep, from their ridiculous bench, began shooting from range.

Doku equalised via a heavy deflection, and after Matsuki forced a save at the other end, González — a £50m squad player that City barely use — unleashed a ridiculous strike to turn the game.

This semi‑final will go down as a heroic failure. In football's brutal reality, all you can take from those is confirmation that you're heading the right way - and Southampton, Tonda, these players and these fans undoubtedly are.

The yellow wall applauded the players and kept singing, as the players looked on in awe at the end of the game.

It may have been a defeat, but the experience will fuel this squad for the promotion-deciding games that remain, and we will be proudly behind them.

Manchester City or Chelsea will lift the FA Cup this year, and in a year's time, few will remember it.

The magic of the competition still exists - especially on the 50th anniversary of Southampton's most magical day.

But on this occasion, magic alone wasn't quite enough to overcome the inequalities between the two sides.

Yellows!

Watch more from Glen and the Total Saints Podcast on Youtube., external

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Perhaps the most pivotal match of the Championship season will take place on Tuesday (19:45 BST) as second-placed Ipswich visit Southampton in a potentially decisive game in hand.

After seeing a late lead in their FA Cup semi-final against Man City wiped out in the closing stages at Wembley on Saturday, Saints will turn their attention to the fight for automatic promotion back to the Premier League.

Tonda Eckert's side are fifth, four points behind the Tractor Boys, who lie ahead of third-placed Millwall on goal difference, with Middlesbrough a point back in fourth.

Saints are unbeaten in 17 league games but must win to keep their hopes of a second-placed finish alive.

Following Saturday's goalless draw at West Brom, a win for Ipswich would all-but secure automatic promotion, no matter what happens on the final day, given their huge goal difference (+30) advantage over the Lions (+13).

A draw would make it a three-team fight for the second automatic spot on the final afternoon on Saturday, but with Ipswich remaining in the box seat ahead of QPR's visit to Portman Road.

• Southampton have won just one of their past six league games against Ipswich (D3 L2), a 2-1 away win in the Premier League last season.

• Ipswich are unbeaten in their past five away league games against Southampton, though four of these have ended level (the other was a 1-0 win in September 2023).

• Southampton lost their final home game in their last Championship season in 2023-24 (0-1 v Stoke), but haven't done so in successive campaigns outside of the top-flight since 1935-36/1936-37.

• Ipswich have won their final away game in three of their past five Championship seasons (L2), this after only doing so in two of their previous 12 second-tier campaigns beforehand (D5 L5).

• Southampton are unbeaten in 17 league games (W13 D4); only twice before in their league history have they enjoyed a longer run, going 19 games from September to December in 1921 and 22 matches from September 2023 to February 2024.

Image source, Opta/Shutterstock

Danny Murphy joins Jason Mohammad to bring you the action and talking points from the weekend's FA Cup semi-finals.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Man City 2-1 Southampton

• Chelsea 1-0 Leeds

Southampton boss Tonda Eckert says the vital game against promotion rivals Ipswich is a "big test of maturity" for his side following their FA Cup semi-final defeat against Manchester City.

The Saints led 1-0 at Wembley before late goals from Jeremy Doku and Nico Gonzalez took City through to the final.

The focus now shifts to Tuesday, when a win against second-placed Ipswich would mean Southampton would go into the final day of the regular season - when they visit Preston - with a chance of automatic promotion.

"The reality of football is that you get some praise for a performance but (by) tomorrow no-one cares. We wanted to go to the final and we didn't make it," Eckert told BBC Radio Solent.

"It's a big, big test test of maturity for us on Tuesday, because we need to be ready again."

Watch back reaction from Adam Blackmore and former Saints midfielder Jo Tessem after Southampton lose to Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

This special episode of Goin' Home With Adam And Jo comes from the Wembley press box.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has gambled with his team selection by playing many of his second string for this FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

There are eight changes in total from the side that beat Burnley in midweek.

John Stones plays for the first time since the win over Newcastle in the earlier rounds and he also take the captain's armband, with his long-term future at City unclear.

James Trafford starts in goal, with the likes of Nathan Ake, Nico Gonzalez, Mateo Kovacic, Tijjani Reijnders, Phil Foden and Omar Marmoush all coming in.

Gianluigi Donnarumma, Abdukodir Khusanov, Marc Guehi, Bernardo Silva, Nico O'Reilly, Antoine Semenyo, Jeremy Doku and Erling Haaland all drop out.

Man City XI: Trafford, Nunes, Stones, Ake, Ait-Nouri, Gonzalez, Kovacic, Reijnders, Cherki, Foden, Marmoush.

Championship high-flyers Southampton make six changes from their draw against Bristol City last time out.

Welington, Caspar Jander, Cameron Braggs, Tom Fellows, Leo Scienza and Ross Stewart all come into the side.

Flynn Downes is suspended, while Ryan Manning, Shea Charles, Kuryu Matsuki, Cameron Archer and Cyle Larin drop out.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis captains the Saints against his old side.

Southampton XI: Peretz, Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Welington, Jander, Bragg, Fellows, Azaz, Scienza, Stewart.

Southampton drew with Bristol City on Tuesday but, before then, they had won seven in a row in the Championship, and they played really well to knock Arsenal out in the last round too.

I was at St Mary's Stadium when Saints knocked Manchester City out of the League Cup in 2023, which shows you what could happen here.

I don't see a shock this time, though.

Tonda Eckert has done a phenomenal job with Saints but I still think City will come out comfortable winners, as long as they are not as wasteful as they were against Burnley.

Sutton's prediction: 3-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Dan George & Adam Blackmore
BBC Sport, Hampshire

Image source, Getty Images

Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert said that his side had to "stay calm" during periods of the FA Cup semi-final when opponents Manchester City have the ball.

The Saints step away from their promotion-chasing campaign in the Championship on Saturday as they attempt to make it to the FA Cup final 50 years after they won the competition in 1976.

Eckert's side are unbeaten in their past 20 matches and have beaten two Premier League sides in Fulham and Arsenal on the way to the last four.

Although confidence within the group will be sky-high going into the tie, Eckert admitted that the task at Wembley will be as tough as they come.

"We will have some periods where we will have to suffer," he told BBC Radio Solent.

"You have to accept that there will be some moments where we will not touch the ball and we have to stay calm in those moments.

"If you see where City score most of their goals, they come from within the width of the six- and 18-yard box. There might be some moments where we have to defend inside the box and be very clear on how to do that.

"On the other hand it comes down to chances. We will definitely have some transition moments, and we need to be crucial on the ones they give to us as they won't be too many [in number].

"You can't rely on just defending in these games, you have to find another gear, give energy where we do have the ball and have spells in possession. We did this well against Arsenal and that will be key on Saturday."

You can follow all the build-up and action on Saturday, live on the BBC Sport website and app or watch the game on BBC One.

BBC Radio Solent have full commentary of the tie and will be on air from 10:00 BST until 20:00 BST.