Sheffield United vs Sunderland: Championship play-off final showdown awaits but who needs promotion to Premier League more?

The Wembley showpiece is here. Sheffield United vs Sunderland at Wembley on Saturday with the winner sealing a spot in next season’s Premier League.

Sheffield United are aiming to bounce back at the first time of asking, but for Sunderland it has been eight long years away from the Premier League.

The Blades are the favourites, but they have never won a play-off campaign in nine previous attempts. Sunderland have a mighty one win from eight, but that came as recently as 2022.

The tension will shred your nerves. There will be elation for the winner of the richest game in football – worth up to a potential £220m – and devastation for the defeated. There is nothing quite like it in terms of sheer, unbridled drama.

Who needs promotion more?

Sky Sports’ Andy Hinchcliffe on the Essential EFL podcast:

“It’s clear the team Sheffield United have assembled is a competitive Championship team, and if they don’t get promoted they are going to be very much in the mix next season.

“I don’t see them losing too many players, and that puts them in a strong position. Perhaps that was part of the plan.

“As for Sunderland, there is far more uncertainty. Tommy Watson is leaving, and there is serious talk about Jobe Bellingham leaving, too. Dan Neil might be looked at, as well as a few others. They could potentially lose three or four key players from a successful team.

“So you wonder, if they don’t go up now, what happens next? While they’ve done a good job replacing players in the past, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep doing that in such a competitive league.

“I’d say Sunderland probably need promotion more right now. If they don’t, they could be facing another five years in a really tough Championship.”

Kick-off at 3.01pm… but why?

The EFL Play-Off Finals look a little different this year with all three matches now set to kick-off one minute later than scheduled. Launching at last season’s Play-Offs, Every Minute Matters has already surpassed the initial target of encouraging 270,000 people – three times the capacity of Wembley Stadium – to learn CPR.
Now, the campaign is aiming to go further by encouraging 360,000 people to use the British Heart Foundation’s online RevivR tool and to start learning the lifesaving technique by the time the Play-Off Finals come round.
To access BHF’s free, simple and easy-to-use online tool, RevivR, search ‘BHF RevivR’ or visit revivr.bhf.org.uk/efl

The richest game in football

The winners of the 2024-25 Championship play-off final are set to receive a minimum of £220m in extra income.
Next season Sky Sports will show up to 215 live Premier League games up from 128 games this season.
The minimum figure in Premier League income has increased from £170m to £220m extra income with the new TV deal.

Tale of the tape – the key info heading into the final

Both teams have sold out their ticket allocation of 35,531 – Sheffield United in the east end and Sunderland in the west end.
Sheff Utd will play in their home kit – Sunderland will play in their change kit of all white.
VAR will be used for the fourth successive season in EFL play-off finals.
Sheffield United finished third and Sunderland fourth in the Championship – Sheff Utd finished 14 points ahead of Sunderland – the biggest points difference between two finalists in EFL play-off history since the current format was introduced in 1988/89.
The teams finishing third and fourth meet in the Championship final for the fifth time in the last six seasons. In those previous four times third has met fourth there have been two wins apiece.
Sheffield United and Sunderland have never been promoted via the second-tier play-offs – despite reaching a combined five finals.

Tactical preview: Could both sides go 4-4-2 again?

Don Goodman on the Sky Sports EFL play-off preview show:

“These are two of the more versatile, flexible coaches who are comfortable using different systems depending on their opponents.

“Sunderland have used the 4-4-2 more consistently throughout the season, while Sheffield United have turned to it more recently, and with greater success.

“Looking at a broader season comparison between the two teams, the league table shows there was a 14-point difference. In essence, that gap is really 16 points when you account for the two Sheffield United were deducted. But when you look at the underlying metrics, there isn’t much separating the sides.”

Where will game be won and lost?

Sky Sports’ Andy Hinchcliffe on the Essential EFL podcast:

“Unless one team completely implodes under pressure, I don’t see either team winning this by two or three because I don’t think either side has the capacity to completely dominate the other.

“It will be tight. Sheffield United, player for player, probably have the stronger team. If we picked a combined XI of the two they would probably have more in.

“There are key individual battles. Dan Ballard vs Kieffer Moore will be a natural one-on-one contest. Then there is Harrison Burrows vs Patrick Roberts. Burrows gives United great width down the left and it allows Gus Hamer to drift inside into those pockets of space.

“Sheffield United will likely aim to dominate possession and apply sustained pressure, while Sunderland will look to strike quickly on the counter-attack.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s decided by a single goal. That doesn’t mean it won’t be a great game – there’ll be plenty to talk about. But it might all come down to a moment of brilliance, or, unfortunately, a defensive mistake.”

How Sheff Utd reached the final

Wilder: We’re not weighed down by play-off history

Chris Wilder has insisted Sheffield United’s historic play-off record means nothing heading into Saturday’s final. The Blades are yet to triumph in a play-off campaign in nine previous attempts in their history.

“If I listen to all the narrative we might as well not turn up and might as well give myself a holiday,” Wilder told Sky Sports. “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.

“We’re trying to write our own little bit in the chapter of this famous football club. There’s everything to gain from this group. You know, we’ve not been weighed down by any negativity at all.

“There’s been a real reset since we missed out on promotion. What we wanted to do after the Burnley game was to get ourselves back in form, get a couple of wins, and we managed that.

“We’re in great shape physically. 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.”

Sheffield United’s miserable play-off record

1987/88 Division Three (third tier) – Lost in semi-final
1996/97 Division One (second tier) – Lost in final
1997/98 Division One (second tier) – Lost in semi-final
2002/03 Division One (second tier) – Lost in final
2008/09 Championship – Lost in final
2011/12 League One – Lost in final
2012/13 League One – Lost in semi-final
2014/15 League One – Lost in semi-final
2021/22 Championship – Lost in semi-final
2024/25 Championship – Final*

How Sunderland reached the final

Le Bris: We needed time to recover from Coventry win but we’ll be ready

Regis Le Bris says his Sunderland squad needed a bit of time to recuperate after their dramatic semi-final win over Coventry, but they are now raring to go for the final.

“The players needed a couple of days to recover after such an incredible moment,” he told Sky Sports. “The end of the game was absolutely outstanding. The connection with our fans made it all the more special.

“Doubt is always something you have to manage. We know the opponent will be strong, and we know it will be a unique event.

“But we welcome that challenge. If you want to play at this level, you have to accept that you can win or lose. It will be tough. You have to be prepared for the unexpected. You’d like everything to be clear and predictable, but that’s rarely the case. Thankfully, this team has already shown its ability to handle the unpredictable. So we’ll go again.

“Our focus remains on maintaining the same process, staying connected to our game plan, being ready for the intensity Sheffield United will bring, and managing the challenges they pose. At the same time, we believe in our own strengths.

“Each match presents a new scenario. It might not be a new opponent, but the circumstances always change. We can draw on past experiences to prepare for the game, but ultimately, we’ll have to navigate a different event with different opportunities and challenges. And in the end, we’ll see whether we’re strong enough.”