Championship play-off final: Sheffield United v Sunderland | OneFootball

Sheffield United could go straight back up to the Premier League after only one season in the Championship, but a fallen giant stands in their way.

Sheffield United are the favorites

The Blades already wasted a good opportunity to be promoted this season. Their time spent in the automatic promotion spots came to nothing when they lost three consecutive matches in April. A 2-1 defeat to Burnley sealed the team’s fate and it became clear that Chris Wilder’s men would have to navigate the play-offs to achieve promotion.

The story after the semi-final is so far, so good. Sheffield United put Bristol City to the sword, winning 6-0 on aggregate. Perhaps the Bristol City supporters will now think twice about invading the pitch in their masses after a sixth place finish.

However, the Blades’ record in the play-offs is concerning. All nine attempts in the club’s history have resulted in failure. Wilder has sought to downplay this and most experts will probably agree his side are still the most likely winners tomorrow.

Chris Wilder has his say

When asked about Sheffield United’s poor play-off record, Wilder Sky Sports : “If I listen to all the narrative we might as well not turn up and might as well give myself a holiday.

“I’ve been to the majority of the [play-off defeats] and I was probably saying the same thing as what the majority of the punters are saying as well.

The manager has insisted his team have not been weighed down by any negativity and have looked stronger since the defeat at Turf Moor in April.

“We’re in great shape physically,” he continued. “The players are playing with a real light shirt and we’re really positive. The feel about the place has been completely different. And I know you can’t get away from the track record of the football club in the play-offs.

“But this club’s been here for over 135 years. And there is going to be a play-off campaign where we get it right in the next 135 years. I’m sure that supporters won’t want to wait that long.

“There’s been a real flow to our game, a positivity about our game, and from the stands and the supporters, a real freshness that this could be our year and we’ve got to go and make that happen.”

Can Sunderland cause an upset?

Sunderland’s decade-long stay in the Premier League ended eight years ago and since then, life has not been easy. Relegation to League One came the next season and it was only in 2022 that the Mackems finally arrived back in the Championship.

Sunderland supporters will remember it was a play-offs victory which saw their team achieve promotion and the prospect of another one is certainly possible. Sheffield United may have had the better season, but Sunderland still managed to comfortably finish in fourth.

Their semi-final win was far less convincing than United’s, as it took a last minute goal in extra time to see off Coventry City. However, another way to view this is Sunderland are resilient and keep on fighting to the end, qualities which may well be needed on Saturday.

The Premier League needs new life

Talks of the Premier League becoming a closed shop are ever more frequent these days.

Some teams such as Nottingham Forest and Brentford have managed to remain a strong force in the English top flight after being promoted. However, all three teams that were promoted last season were relegated to the Championship this season.

And if Sheffield United go up, it will be two of the same three teams re-entering the Premier League which were relegated from it the season before. Leeds were relegated the season before that, so they have all been top tier teams in recent years.

Whereas, Sunderland have been absent from the Premier League for enough years that it would cause excitement to see them back in the big time. The neutrals will want an exciting game, but there may be some who care about the result because they do not want Sheffield United to go straight back up.

Where can I watch the game?

The Championship play-off final will kick off at 3:01BST and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football in the UK. In the US, the game can be watched on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo.