Championship play-off final: High emotions and mutual respect between Hull City and Middlesbrough FC

For Hull, Saturday's Championship play-off final is about silencing their doubters, for Boro it is about not letting what they see as an unfair situation defeat them.

But one thing which will be kept out of the 3.30pm kick-off is disrespect for their opponents.

Boro were only reinstated to the play-offs on Tuesday, when Southampton were found guilty of spying on three opponents, them included.

Hull have grievances with the process too, but for them it is more about proving a point to achieve what Sergej Jakirovic says will be the highlight of his coaching career.

Tardiness paying their bills saw a Hull side who stayed up last season on goal difference banned from buying players or even paying loan fees for them in 2025-26. It led many to predict another season of struggle.

"I think this is great motivation for all our team, for me, players, all people in the club," said Jakirovic.

"If somebody wrote you off, you have to prove everything on the pitch. In football, you can be the underdog, but you can still win the game.

"This is why football is such an interesting game. I'm very proud of this group of players.

"All season they're fighting, they're struggling with a lot of problems. And finally, we are here. So we need one more step.

"(Promotion will mean) everything. What we achieved with all these problems this whole season is unbelievable.

"Maybe one more little step we have to do and we will try to do everything what is in our power to get there."

Boro coach Hellberg – like Jakirovic in his first season of English football – has cut an emotional figure since a Saints intern was caught watching training at Rockliffe Park two days before the semi-final second leg, and will try to channel that sense of injustice on Saturday.

"We've been in an unfair situation in terms of with what's happened and we fight through it in a respectable way, I think," he commented. "We are trying now to do everything we can to get ready for Saturday, because that's what people and fans wanted about this game, to play on Saturday, to not make it more difficult. Then we try to do everything we can to get it on Saturday.

"We're going there and we're going to try to win, we will put all the energy into it. It will be an unbelievable time, and I'm really looking forward to it."

Jakirovic gets on well with the Swede, and has sympathy for him and his players.

"It's hard," he said of Boro's situation, only learning on Wednesday evening when Southampton's appeal was rejected that their season is not yet over. "You switch off and now you must switch on. So it's not easy to prepare for this type of game."

Both regular-season matches were won by the away side, and neither coach is under-estimating the opposition.

"They are a very good side, coming in with a strong win against Norwich in the last (regular-season) game at home to get here," commented Hellberg.

"They had two strong performances against Middlesbrough in different ways, in different shapes and different strategies. They are a flexible team, they have a lot of good players, they can do different things and have a good squad.

"I'm just expecting a tough, tough challenge. They have absolutely some top quality players all over the pitch that have good quality. I think it will be a good football game, and I'm looking forward to playing against them."

Despite all the uncertainty about when and where the game would be played - with suggestions the legal process could have forced a rearrangement - Wembley should be sold out or very close to it.

Hull sold 30,000 tickets in 24 hours last weekend, and another 4,000 since, and for Boro have sold 37,000 tickets that only went on sale on Thursday morning has been a show of force.

"I think that's unbelievable," said Hellberg. "That was one question that was important for us (in terms of when the game would be played).

"I think it's a lot about, from our club again, respect to Hull for example. A lot of (Hull) supporters booked on the Saturday and I think it's a lot of respect to football in general - English football - that this is the day we should play the game on for us. It is of course not optimal seeing a lot of (Boro) tickets (having to be sold quickly).

"Everyone around the club has done absolutely brilliant.

"The supporters, I know they will run to the game if that is possible and they will find solutions to get there.

"I'm just proud of everyone and we try to keep the fairness in the game and all those things to play on the Saturday and make that work."