Middlesbrough v Aston Villa

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Middlesbrough v Aston Villa

Middlesbrough boss Tony Pulis has confirmed he will name the same XI that started the 2-2 draw with Ipswich.

It means striker Patrick Bamford, who has scored 13 goals this season, will begin the game on the bench.

Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce will give recalls to a number of players, including goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, captain John Terry, midfielder Jack Grealish and striker Lewis Grabban.

They are playing in the play-offs for the first time in their history.

Match facts
  • These two sides met three times in all competitions this season with each side winning once on the road (D1). Including both legs of this season's play-off tie, it will be the second time that both teams have faced each other five times in a single season - also 1949-50.
  • The home team has failed to win any of the past 11 matches between Middlesbrough and Aston Villa in all competitions, with the Villans being the last side to secure a home victory in March 2005.
  • Aston Villa have lost just one of their past eight away games against Middlesbrough in all competitions and none of the past five (W4 D1).
  • The team to finish in fourth place has won the second-tier play-offs in two of the past four seasons (QPR in 2013-14 and Hull City in 2015-16), as many as in the previous 22 campaigns combined (Leicester City in 1993-94 and Charlton in 1997-98).
  • Fifth-placed Huddersfield won promotion last season, while the team in fifth has not won the play-offs (current format) in consecutive second-tier campaigns since 2001-02 (Birmingham City) and 2002-03 (Wolves).
  • This will be Aston Villa's first ever play-off match in the Football League, while Middlesbrough are competing in their fourth play-off campaign and first since 2014-15 when they lost in the Championship play-off final to Norwich City.
  • Middlesbrough successfully gained promotion via the second-tier play-offs in 1987-88, getting the better of top-flight Chelsea over two legs in the final. In 1990-91 they were eliminated by Neil Warnock's Notts County in the semi-final, who went on to win promotion.
  • Steve Bruce has won more promotions to the Premier League than any other manager (4). Two of those promotions have been via the play-offs - in 2001-02 with Birmingham City and 2015-16 with Hull City.
  • Tony Pulis has led two teams to promotion in his managerial career in the Football League - finishing second with Gillingham in the fourth tier in 1995-96 and taking Stoke into the Premier League in 2007-08. However, Pulis' only experience in the play-offs ended in a penalty shoot-out defeat for Gillingham by Man City in the third-tier final in 1998-99.
  • Middlesbrough have lost just two of their past 14 league games (W8 D4), while Aston Villa have won once in their past five on the road in the Championship (D1 L3).
 
Tranmere winning 2-1 at Wembley with five minutes remaining, despite having had a player sent off in the first minute.

Bit daft having 15k rattling around in a 90k stadium.
 
Chazz Rheinhold said:
I don't care how old fashioned and unsexy it is these days but a man on the post and it's not a goal.
Click to expand...
I agree, but there wasn't so it is. Still a great header (even if it might have come off his shoulder a bit...). AV looking sharp though.
 
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