We Are Middlesbrough

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We asked for your thoughts and predictions before the final day Championship showdown in the race for automatic promotion to the Premier League between Ipswich Town, Millwall and Middlesbrough.

To realistically finish in the top two, Boro must win and hope that Ipswich lose and Millwall fail to beat Oxford.

If the Tractor Boys draw, Kim Hellberg's side would need to win by six goals to overhaul them on goal difference - and it would also still require the Lions to not beat the U's.

Here are a selection of your responses:

Paul: We blew it a while back. Home games against weaker teams where we dropped points. Oxford and Pompey spring to mind. Those wins would've had us up.

Stephen: Big day coming up. One last roll of the dice. The Boro need three points and the others to drop points. That winless streak has cost automatic promotion. Just got to keep hoping and praying. Roll on Saturday. Up the Boro.

John: Boro have had their dip in form which has coincided with injuries to key players. The return of Whittaker, McGree, Castledine and Hackney will provide the momentum to get them up through the play-offs. They will also use the energy from the penalty decision at Ipswich and the 5-1 home win against Watford to get them over the line. Sixth time lucky to win at Wembley.

Andy: I have to say that if you asked me eight months ago, 'Would Boro be in the play-offs?' I'd have had your hand off! Retrospectively, I'd now say we have blown second place, but there's a slim chance we can do it Saturday.

Proud to support the Boro, I feel we are the best team in the mix, just that spell without a win in seven killed us. I think Ipswich deserve second place on their recent form... But who knows.

Andrew: Come on Boro! Keep up the winning momentum and we will go up. If we're lucky we'll be up with just one more win but if not we'll still go up with three more wins!

Jess: Middlesbrough have got to win. It's a tough ask at Wrexham. Not winning games they should have is probably going to cost them that automatic promotion place. But isn't it a brilliant way to finish, the fight for third place [via the play-offs]? Come on Boro!

There is a lot riding on this game for both sides when they meet on Saturday (12:30 BST).

Victory for Wrexham would give them a play-off spot unless Hull can claim victory by a bigger winning margin, while anything less could also open the door for Derby County to sneak into sixth place.

Middlesbrough already know they will at least be in the play-offs but a win might be enough to pinch the second automatic promotion place depending on the results for Ipswich and Millwall.

• This will be Wrexham's first home game against Middlesbrough in the Football League; the Red Dragons have won their first Football League home game against an opponent in seven of the past 10 occasions (D1 L2), most recently beating Ipswich 5-3 in February.

• Middlesbrough have lost both of their previous away games against Wrexham in all competitions, both in the FA Cup in 1973-74 (1-0) and 1999-00 (2-1).

• Wrexham have won their final match in each of their past four Football League seasons, their longest ever such run.

• Middlesbrough have lost their final game in three of the past five Championship seasons (W1 D1), as many as their previous 14 in the second tier beforehand (W7 D4 L3).

• Between 11 March and 22 April, Middlesbrough had 179 shots in eight Championship matches and scored just seven goals (4% conversion). In their last game against Watford, they had 20 shots and scored five goals (25%).

Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg is happy his side remain in the hunt for automatic promotion after a more positive few days for the club.

They scored five goals in a league game for the first time since November 2024 as they thrashed Watford.

With Ipswich Town failing to win at West Bromwich Albion, Boro could still finish second although that is dependant on the Tractor Boys failing to win at Southampton on Tuesday night.

But after failing to win for seven matches, successive home wins over Sheffield Wednesday and now the Hornets have returned confidence to Boro's ranks.

They also banished issues at the Riverside, where they had not won a game since 31 January.

Now they will have to wait and see if anything is riding on their trip to Wrexham next Saturday or whether their sole focus will be on the play-offs.

"I talked about if we won the two home games, it has a big opportunity to take it to the last day, which we've done," Hellberg told BBC Radio Tees.

"It was also one thing to secure the play-offs, that we have done. Winning at home, that we have done. Scoring six goals, only conceding one - so that was a lot of important things going into this week.

"And we've also shown quality in the second half, in how good we can be, and in the game at Ipswich. So, it's a lot of things that have been very good with this week.

"There is a lot of energy going into the last days of the season, and I'm really, really looking forward to it."

Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg said he was determined to take his side's automatic promotion hopes to the final day of the Championship season.

Boro go into the penultimate game, at home to Watford on Saturday (12:30 BST), in fifth place and trailing second-placed Ipswich Town by three points.

The Teessiders are also three behind Millwall, who are third, but level with fourth-placed Southampton on 76 points.

However, with the Saints hosting Ipswich on Tuesday, and at least one of those sides certain to pick up points, Boro must win at the Riverside to stand a realistic chance of going to Wrexham and being involved in a final-day shootout to go up behind champions Coventry City.

"We need to try to win our game and hope that can take it to the last day of the season," Hellberg said.

"If you're in it the last day of the season, all things can happen. In the last 90 minutes, a lot of things play a part in who succeeds or not. We're still in it to try to get there."

Victory over Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday ended a barren run of seven games without a win for Boro, who had slipped from second to fifth.

But they will again be without Hayden Hackney, who has not played since 14 March because of a calf injury, for the visit of the Hornets.

However, Matt Targett, who went off a few minutes early against Wednesday sparking worries of an injury, is fit for the lunchtime kick-off.

After Middlesbrough got back to winning ways against Sheffield Wednesday, we asked whether you thought Boro were still in the fight for automatic promotion or if you're gearing up for the play-offs.

Here are some of your responses:

Stephen: A win is a win, regardless of how it comes about. We need an out-and-out striker.

If we had we would have been pushing Coventry even harder and be in a good, strong second place, not worrying about the teams behind us. Fingers crossed for the two last games, win and see how it goes.

Andrew S: There's still hope. We have had bad patches before. If we win every remaining game this season then we will be in the Premier League next season and we will keep Hayden Hackney.

Hopefully we will go up and stay up and have another run like we did in the 2000s when we were in Europe and reached the UEFA Cup final.

Andrew: Sadly the poor home form since February has cost Boro automatic promotion. Having all four teams head into the final day on 79 points would be incredible drama, but can't see it happening.

Ian: Little chance of top two. We have an injury problem - our strikers are fit! You wonder if we would be better not playing with strikers, roll on the play-offs.

Gareth: It's a shame that the wheels seem to have come off right at the end of the season. For a while I dared to dream that we were going up. So hoping for one more crack at the play-offs! Still, immensely proud of the Boro this season, and almost reminiscent of our famous UEFA Cup run.

Philip: Lack of firepower has been our down fall.

Mike: It's ridiculous that it should come to this - relying on other clubs to drop points. We had automatic promotion in our grasp for three quarters of the season and then were found out through lack of a good striker. Goals win games. Simples.

Okay, they made rather hard work of it, but Boro's winless streak at The Riverside is over after Wednesday's 1-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday.

Barring something truly extraordinary in the final two games of the season, which would need Boro to lose at home to Watford and at Wrexham on the final day, and two wins and a swing of more than a dozen in goal difference from the chasing pack, Boro are play-off bound, at least...

But they are also three points behind second place and the final automatic promotion place.

Six points to finish the season would make things very interesting, especially as two of the three sides in the race face each other next Tuesday as Southampton entertain Ipswich.

So how are you feeling, Boro fans? Are you plotting which play-off match-up would suit you best, or holding out hope that Millwall, Ipswich and Saints will drop points?

Click here to have your say.