Saturday's Championship play-off final at Wembley carries a price tag of roughly £200 million and a place in the Premier League — yet in its 40-year history, no final has been so thoroughly overshadowed by a club not even taking part.

Southampton were expelled from the Championship play-offs this week after an independent commission found their manager Tonda Eckert had specifically authorised surveillance of opponents' training sessions. The club's appeal failed, and their spot in the final was handed to Middlesbrough — the side Southampton had beaten in the semi-finals. It is now Hull City and Middlesbrough who will contest the showpiece at Wembley on Saturday, 15:30 BST.

Hull — the division's surprise package

Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic was candid about the unique circumstances his club finds itself in ahead of kick-off. "We can say everything is unfair in this last two weeks. You don't know what's going on," he told BBC Radio Humberside. "We are collateral damage because we are waiting on [an] opponent and you don't know what's going on, what's happening."

That frustration is understandable. Hull survived relegation to League One on goal difference last May, then brought in former Bosnia international Jakirovic as their new head coach. A three-window transfer embargo — later reduced to two following a successful appeal — made their prospects look bleak, and few tipped them as promotion candidates heading into the season.

Yet the Tigers defied those low expectations, spending the vast majority of the campaign inside the top six. They remained in automatic promotion contention as late as the end of March before a difficult six-game run in April dropped them to seventh going into the final day. A home victory over Norwich City, combined with Middlesbrough's draw at Wrexham, saw Hull sneak back into the play-off places at the crucial moment.

They then eliminated third-placed Millwall in the semi-finals, beating a side that had finished three places and 10 points above them across the regular season. Hull will head to Wembley seeking a third triumph in their third Championship play-off final, having won promotion under the arch in both 2008 and 2016. Forward Kyle Joseph will miss the final through an injury sustained in the win over Millwall.

Middlesbrough's dramatic reinstatement

Middlesbrough's path to this final could scarcely have been more turbulent. The club appointed Rob Edwards as manager last summer, and he made an encouraging start — before departing to Wolverhampton Wanderers just three months into his tenure on Teesside, much to the anger of supporters.

His replacement, little-known Swedish coach Kim Hellberg, exceeded all expectations. The former teacher guided Boro to the top of the Championship by February on the strength of six consecutive wins and eye-catching football. Despite occupying a top-two position for 35 of 46 match-days, a loss of form and key injuries late in the season saw them stumble to a fifth-place finish.

That set up a semi-final against Southampton, who had not lost a league match since a 2-1 home defeat by Hull on 17 January. Middlesbrough's preparations were disrupted when a member of Southampton's backroom staff was discovered at their training ground two days before the first leg — the incident that spawned what has become known as 'Spygate'. Boro lost the tie 2-1 on aggregate, only to be reinstated following Southampton's expulsion.

Now, nine years after their last top-flight campaign, Middlesbrough are one game from a Premier League return. Captain Hayden Hackney is available again after 10 games out with a groin injury, though Scotland forward Tommy Conway has been ruled out of both the final and the upcoming World Cup with an ankle injury.

Key statistics

This will be the first play-off final contested between teams who finished fifth and sixth since Aston Villa beat Derby County in 2019. Hull carry a perfect record in Championship play-off finals; Middlesbrough have never won a match at Wembley. Both sides arrive in poor recent form — Hull have won just two of their past nine matches, while Boro have managed only two victories in their past 12 games.