Championship Playoff Final Betting Preview: Sheffield United v Sunderland
- admin246270
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Wembley plays host to football’s “richest game” this Saturday and James Buttler previews Sheffield United v Sunderland in a fixture that guarantees drama, relief, wild celebrations and definite heartbreak.
Sheffield United and Sunderland clash for a place in the Premier League, a prize estimated to be worth circa £220million. The Blades boast momentum after a dominant 6-0 aggregate win over Bristol City, but history is against them as they’ve never gained promotion via the play-off route in nine attempts.
Chris Wilder’s side finished 14 points above Sunderland and notched an impressive 90 points. That's a total that would earn automatic promotion in most other seasons. However, their play-off record, including four final defeats, casts a long shadow. Still, their recent form and Callum O’Hare’s game-changing cameos provide that fragile hope.
Sunderland’s path has been more dramatic. Régis Le Bris’ men ended the season with five straight losses. That poor run-in is unprecedented for a play-off team. They rebounded with a gritty two-legged win over Coventry, sealed by Dan Ballard’s extra-time header. They’ve only won promotion via the play-offs once before, and haven’t won away against any top-eight side this season (D3, L4), underlining the scale of the challenge.
This season, both sides won their home games in tight contests. Expect a tense, tactical battle with so much on the line. So, under 2.5 match goals looks a near cewrtainty with the last five cagey play-off finals all finishing under this mark.
Who wins the Championship Playoff Final
When it comes to which team wins, I can't call it. Extra-time may be a play with the draw at 90 minutes priced at 11/5. Both sides are priced at 17/2 to gain promotion after extra-time penalties.
And finally, a Penalty Miss in Match (Yes) is also worth a look. Both league meetings this season featured a missed spot-kick.
As a Leeds United fan, I'm all smiles right now, but I remember playoff heartbreak. Good luck to both sides. It's a great way to go up, but an awful defeat to suffer.
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