Championship Play-off Final: Sheffield United vs Sunderland – Preview | OneFootball

The moment we’ve been waiting for is merely hours away. Sheffield United meet Sunderland in the Championship play-off final on Saturday afternoon in the quest for promotion to the Premier League.

Chris Wilder’s men put on two absolute masterclasses against Bristol City in both legs to win 3-0 both home and away, making it the biggest margin of victory any team has won by in Championship play-off history.

Since the loss at Burnley, the Blades have continued with a 4-4-2 shape and they’ve arguably put in some of their best attacking displays of the season, especially on the counter. The combination of Kieffer Moore and Tyrese Campbell up front with Gustavo Hamer and Rhian Brewster in support has transformed United up top in recent weeks.

For Sunderland, they entered the play-offs in poor form and they just about sneaked their way past Coventry City and avoided the dreaded penalty shootout thanks to a Dan Ballard header in the 122nd minute.

The Black Cats have bags of energy and pace across the pitch, but one thing that they seemingly lack compared to Sheffield United is the physicality. The Sky Blues tested their smaller than average team across both legs with a number of long throw-ins and corners etc, and to be honest neither the defence nor the goalkeeper filled me with huge confidence. A lot of the clearances from this direct approach looked very panicky, and the goalkeeper looked uncomfortable coming for the ball and feeling contact.

Team News

Sheffield United have no fitness concerns after Ben Brereton Diaz overcame a virus and Femi Seriki is now back to 100% following the shoulder injury he suffered on the final day of the season.

Regis Le Bris has a couple of injury worries to contend with heading into the weekend. Romaine Mundle, who has had several injury scares this term, is currently being monitored ahead of the play-off final due to yet another soft tissue injury. Patrick Roberts, who plays on the right, the opposite wing to Mundle, has suffered slightly with a calf injury, though he’s expected to be ready to go on Saturday afternoon.

Sheffield United’s Impact Player For This Game

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

By no means am I saying that this man is United’s best player in terms of skill and technically, but for me I’m looking at Kieffer Moore in this one. Since coming back into the team down the stretch he’s basically man-handled his markers, and especially across the tie against Bristol City.

The Welshman is an absolute handful because of his height, strength and aggression in ground and aerial duels. And, he shows flashes of brilliance in his hold-up play and linking up with Tyrese Campbell, who is a speedster, has seemingly worked wonders.

Moore is averaging over five aerial duels won per 90, with his aerial success rate working out at 61% (98th percentile). As mentioned in a previous article, if the Black Cats are defending their box from long throw-ins and corners with the likes of Trai Hume, Dan Ballard, Luke O’Nien, Dennis Cirkin etc then you’d have to fancy United’s chances of winning these physical duels, and none more so than the towering striker. Plus, the Blades have two outstanding set-piece takers in Harrison Burrows and Gustavo Hamer, both are more than capable of swinging in dangerous deliveries.

The experienced Wales international is averaging almost three shots per 90 (90th percentile) and is recording a very high number of touches in the opposition penalty area, which further highlights his bullying-type of style he has. Again, this could show even more against a lightweight Sunderland defence.

This is why Le Bris may have to think about playing Dan Ballard and Chris Mepham together; they are their most dominant defensive partnership at the club. But for whatever reason, the French tactician has opted to go with Mepham on the bench in recent weeks.

Sunderland’s Impact Player For This Game

COVENTRY, ENGLAND – MAY 09: Eliezer Mayenda of Sunderland scores their second goal during the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi Final First Leg match between Coventry City and AFC Sunderland at The Coventry Building Society Arena on May 09, 2025 in Coventry, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Again, you would say Enzo Le Fee is technically the standout player in the Sunderland team but I believe the biggest threat the Blades will face is from Eliezer Mayenda.

The Spaniard netted eight goals and provided five assists this season, and his goal numbers could’ve been much higher having missed 14 big chances. He is lightning quick, so he will thrive with chances to run into the channels. But, his speed can also be useful to unsettle the Blades’ back line when they’re trying to play out from the back.

While Mayenda is performing at the Championship average in terms of goals per shot (meaning he isn’t the most clinical of forwards), he is full of explosive moments which can see him create opportunities. He ranks in the 98th percentile in the Championship for shot-creating actions via a dribble, and he also ranks in the 99th percentile for successful dribbles per 90 – making him the best dribbling forward in the second tier.

Anel Ahmedhodzic and Jack Robinson will be hoping that Vinicius Souza can thwart the danger of Mayenda well before the 20-year-old begins to drive at the defensive duo.

My Prediction

Opta stats give Sheffield United a 49.4% chance of winning the Championship play-off final compared to Sunderland’s 26.5%, and you can see why.

The Blades have that big game experience through the ranks, with quite a few members of the squad having previously played in the Premier League and/or play-off semi-finals and finals in the past. And while Anthony Patterson, Luke O’Nien, Dennis Cirkin and Patrick Roberts were all part of Sunderland’s League One play-off final win back in the 2021/22 campaign, this is a whole different level to that.

United finished 14 points above Sunderland in the Championship, and while that doesn’t count for anything in the final, it should give the Blades the psychological edge knowing they were much better than the Black Cats across a 46-game season – and now it’s time to show that.

Sunderland have some frighteningly quick and energetic players, but I can’t see past the physical dominance Sheffield United have shown in recent weeks, which for me is a glaring weakness of their opposition. Add to that the magical players like Gustavo Hamer and Harrison Burrows, who are excellent at picking teammates out and scoring from distance.

I’m also a lot more confident in Michael Cooper compared to Anthony Patterson. He’s been a breath of fresh air between the sticks; he looks so composed in everything he does, and he can pull off wonder saves.

The Blades can make history and win 3-1 at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Stats taken from FBref and Opta.