Middlesbrough defender Jonathan Woodgate believes that his side will go into the Championship play-off final as firm underdogs, piling the pressure onto opposition Norwich City.

The 35-year-old, who made only nine appearances for Boro this season, is aware of the importance of the match, not only for the club but also for the town - with a reported prize of around £130 million for the winner, as well as a place in the Premier League.

"This is a one-off game, it’s going to be tense, both teams are going to be nervous," he told the Hartlepool Mail.

"If we get in the Premier League, it’s a huge achievement. The Championship play-off is the biggest thing outside winning a competition, if we can do it, it will be incredible for the club and the town.

“It’s going to be a special atmosphere, a full stadium, half of it red and the other half yellow, I just hope at the end it’s the reds celebrating.

“Monday is a massive game for the club and the town, we’ll go there with a lot of hope and confidence. We won’t be over-confident but we’ve got to be confident going into the game.

“We feel how much the town is really up for it, it’s going to be fantastic."

But despite this, Woodgate, who is in his second spell at the Teeside club, has Middlesbrough down as underdogs for Monday's game, and believes that there is more pressure on opposition Norwich City to win.

"You look at Norwich and they are going to be the favourites," he admitted.

"We have beaten them twice but pretty much every single one of their players is a Premier League player.

“Apart from one, I think all their team played in the Premier last year. The onus is on them, the pressure is on them because their players are bigger than ours.

The match could be Woodgate's final appearance in a Middlesbrough shirt, with the eight-time England international's contract set to expire in June."

But the former Real Madrid defender, who's last trip to Wembley ended with an FA Cup victory for Tottenham in 2008, is not prepared to let his future at the Riverside distract from next week's final.

"I’ll only be thinking about what I’m going to do when I’m lying on a sun-lounger in the sun,” he continued.

“I’m going to talk to the manager and my family, but I’ve made no decisions yet on what I will do.”

Middlesbrough fans..... Do you agree with Woodgate? Would you say you are the underdogs in the final? Let us know below!