Middlesbrough and Southampton will face battle again in the Championship, pitting Kim Hellberg against Tonda Eckert following the Spygate scandal.

Southampton defeated Middlesbrough 2-1 on aggregate following extra time, securing a place at Wembley. However, because to the Spygate affair, Tonda Eckert’s team was replaced, and Borough faced Hull City instead.

A 1-0 setback to an Oli McBurnie goal means they will face off this season, a fixture that many fans of both sides will be looking forward to after the EFL’s fixtures were released on Thursday, June 25th.

The dates for Boro’s game versus the Saints are November 28th and March 13th, and it will be a nail-biting affair. The same may be true for both managers, assuming Eckert stays in charge of Southampton and escapes a ban.

Kim Hellberg’s newest remarks about Southampton manager Tonda Eckert

Speaking live on Sky Sports on Thursday afternoon, Hellberg was asked about the new matchups and whether losing in the play-offs following Spygate was difficult to accept. He answered, “Of course it was. It was a memorable last few weeks of the season, with ups and downs and everything.

“So it was vital for me to go on vacation and have some stuff while also spending time with my friends and family. Now I have the energy to keep going—and do it better. I believe everyone handles things differently. That is what you need to do about it.

“But you also need to utilise it as fuel and strength for this season. We know we were near. We are aware that we are close to being good enough. We’ll use it as motivation moving into the preseason to do better, attempt to achieve our goals, and work harder for them.”

In response to the consequences from Spygate, the Middlesbrough manager said: “It was wild. It was a strange situation due to everything that had happened around it, with a lot of back and forth on emotions and other things.

“It’s like everything else; you try to learn from it, improve from it, and use it as an opportunity to reflect on what we’ve experienced. And we aim to emerge stronger as a result. “It was an especially strange few weeks.”

On Eckert’s future at St. Mary’s, Hellberg said, “I haven’t thought about it. The season finished, and we weren’t good enough to advance. That is all I can say about it. I have to attempt to perform better next year, and that is what I am working on.

“I’m not focused on other teams. I’m not focused on another manager. He is a competent manager. He fared quite well for Southampton. Southampton is a great club that will most likely be successful this season.

“That’s all from me. It has been widely discussed. I’m simply looking forward to next season, wishing all of the teams and coaches the best, and we’ll see who has the best season when it’s over.”

Tonda Eckert and Spygate storylines may follow Southampton wherever next season.

If Eckert eventually leaves Southampton, it may out to be the best outcome for many of those concerned. Regardless of the eventual ruling, the damage from the Spygate scandal is unlikely to go away anytime soon, and a fresh start could allow both the club and the manager to go forward without the relentless attention that will undoubtedly follow in 2026/27.

Middlesbrough, who were undoubtedly the team most affected by the scandal during the play-offs, may also be happy to see Eckert removed from the equation from a football standpoint. The issue has become a distraction, with the potential to overshadow matches and narratives anytime the two clubs meet now.

Indeed, it no longer applies solely to Middlesbrough. Birmingham City and Wrexham have already poked fun at Southampton as the fixtures are released. It is aggravated by Eckert’s continued employment, considering his involvement in the incident.

However, there is another side to Boro’s argument. Some in the Middlesbrough camp may have welcomed the chance to confront Eckert again and get one over on him on the pitch, using any lingering hatred as motivation in future meetings. He won’t accept it, but that could apply to Hellberg as well.