Brentford vs. Middlesbrough, Championship playoffs: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online

The richest tournament in football gets underway on Friday, with Middlesbrough and Brentford contesting the first leg of their Premier League promotion playoff semifinal. They finished fourth and fifth in the Championship respectively, with Boro finishing a comfortable seven points and 12 goals against their promotion rivals.

Of the four sides involved in the playoffs, these two sides are probably the least likely to stay up if they win, simply because of their squad makeup. The best player on both teams is on loan from a big Premier League club -- Brentford’s Alex Pritchard from Tottenham Hotspur and Middlesbrough’s Patrick Bamford from Chelsea. Both are likely to get a chance to make the first team squads of their parent clubs next summer, though promotion would give each team a chance to retain their young star for one more season.

In the first match between these two, at Boro in September, the home side rolled in a 4-0 win despite Dean Whitehead’s second half red card. Brentford performed much better in the return fixture in January, but their finishing was very poor, and Boro scraped a 1-0 win. Those results seemingly make Boro the favorite, but Brentford have been in the better form of the two since that game.

Brentford injuries and suspensions

Out: Scott Hogan (knee). In doubt: Chris Long (illness)

Bamford’s health is a potential tie-decider. He’s the best striker in the Championship, and if he’s not fully fit or able to start, it makes Boro pretty serious underdogs in this first leg.

Match date/time: Friday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 7:45 p.m. ET

Venue: Griffin Park, Brentford, England

TV: beIN Sports (U.S. and Canada), Sky Sports 1 (U.K.)

Online: beIN Sports Connect (U.S. and Canada), Sky Go (U.K.)

Listings via Live Soccer TV.