"I would be surprised" - Simon Jordan praises Chris Wilder and makes bold Sheffield United prediction | OneFootball

Simon Jordan has tipped Sheffield United to win promotion to the Premier League after reaching the Championship play-off final.

Former Crystal Palace owner and talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan has backed Sheffield United to win promotion to the Premier League after reaching the Championship play-off final.

Sheffield United had looked to be in pole position to secure automatic promotion, but a horror run of three straight defeats against Oxford United, Millwall and Plymouth Argyle in early April dealt a huge blow to their top two hopes, and they eventually finished the season in third place, setting up a play-off semi-final clash against Bristol City.

The Blades were handed a huge advantage midway through their semi-final first leg on Thursday night when the Robins were reduced to 10 men after Rob Dickie was controversially sent off for bringing down Kieffer Moore in the box, and they went on to establish a three-goal advantage through Harrison Burrows' penalty and strikes from Andre Brooks and Callum O'Hare.

That put United in a commanding position ahead of the second leg at Bramall Lane on Monday night, and after a decent start from the visitors, Chris Wilder's men took full control of the game, with goals from Moore, Gustavo Hamer and O'Hare booking their place at Wembley, where they will face either Sunderland or Coventry City.

Such was their dominance over the two games, the Blades broke the record for the biggest ever aggregate victory in Championship play-off history, and Wilder described the evening as "a fabulous night for all concerned".

Simon Jordan reacts as Sheffield United reach play-off final

Jordan has frequently been critical of Wilder in the past, but he admitted that he has been impressed by the way the 57-year-old has galvanised his team, and he revealed he would be surprised if Sheffield United were not victorious in the final at Wembley later this month.

"The amount of points they've got to finish third is commendable, but they did have an opportunity," Jordan said on talkSPORT.

"Burnley's form was relentless, it just went on and on and nobody could score against them, but Leeds were on the wobble, and Sheffield United didn't take advantage of it.

"That's irrelevant now, they were third in the league by a mile, and they've done most of these sides.

"They took four points off Bristol City, they beat them and drew in the corresponding fixtures, so Bristol City have landed no gloves on them.

"They are where they should be.

"In fairness to him (Wilder), and I don't always agree with him and his approach, he has galvanised this team, he does know this club and he knows it very well.

"Whether he should be signing mind the gap after he beat Sheffield Wednesday and things like that, that's a debate in some people's minds.

"But he's done his job, and I would be surprised if Sheffield United don't get promoted."

Sheffield United must overcome big play-off hurdle to achieve promotion

Given that there was a 22-point gap between the two teams during the regular season, which would have been 24 if Sheffield United had not been hit with a two-point deduction, it was no surprise to see the Blades get past Bristol City with relative ease.

The comprehensive way they brushed the Robins aside was certainly eye-catching, and after the late-season decline in form that saw them miss out on automatic promotion, it seems Wilder has got his side firmly back on track.

United will likely go into the final as favourites, but they have been unsuccessful in each of their previous eight play-off campaigns, and they have not won at Wembley for over 100 years, so it is fair to say history is not on their side as they look to secure promotion.