The 2024/25 EFL Championship season finally ends this weekend with the promotion playoff final at Wembley. Sheffield United vs Sunderland is the match to determine the third team that will play in the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, joining Leeds United and Burnley.
Sheffield United reached the EFL Championship promotion playoff final by beating Bristol City 6-0 on aggregate in the previous round. However, the Blades will be livid that they let their 2024/25 league campaign reach this stage after leading the table for a few weeks. However, a run of only two wins in their final seven games cost Chris Wilder’s team dearly, dropping them from first to third.
On the other hand, Sunderland qualified for the EFL Championship promotion playoff final by clinching a narrow 2-1 win over Coventry City. They spent the entire 2024/25 EFL Championship season in the top four and led the standings until Matchday 15. However, after barely dropping points in the first 12 outings, the Black Cats won only 12 of their subsequent 24 games while losing their final five matches.
Sheffield United and Sunderland won their home games by a one-goal margin this season, and The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the third and final meeting between the two sides.
Chris Wilder has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Sheffield United manager will be bereft of the services of only two first-team players vs Sunderland on Sunday.
Oliver Arblaster is the most notable absentee due to the long-term knee injury he picked up in November. The highly-rated English midfielder accompanies Rhys Norrington-Davies (groin) on the sidelines.
Michael Cooper will take his spot between the sticks, with Sheffield United lining up in a 4-4-2 formation in front of him vs Sunderland on Saturday. The backline should feature Hamza Choudhury, Harrison Burrows, Anel Ahmedhodzic, and captain Jack Robinson.
As for the midfield unit, Sydie Peck and Vinicius Souza will aim to keep things tight in the middle of the park while providing the forward thrust. Callum O’Hare and Gustavo Hamer will be the two wide midfielders, with Tom Cannon and Kieffer Moore being the two strikers. So, Ben Brereton Diaz and Rhian Brewster will be backup options on the bench.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Cooper; Choudhury, Ahmedhodzic, Robinson, Burrows; O’Hare, Peck, De Souza Costa, Hamer; Cannon, Moore
Unlike his counterpart in the Sheffield United dugout, Regis Le Bris has a new issue to worry about ahead of the trip to Wembley. The Sunderland manager might be without three first-team players on Saturday.
Jayden Danns (back) and Ian Poveda (leg) remain on the sidelines, affecting Le Bris’s offensive options. In addition, the Sunderland manager is sweating over Patrick Roberts’s fitness due to his calf issue.
Anthony Patterson is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Sunderland lining up in a 4-4-2 formation in front of him vs Sheffield United on Saturday. The backline should feature Trai Hume, Daniel Ballard, Luke O’Nien, and Dennis Cirkin.
Roberts will start on the right flank if he is fit and available. The 28-year-old winger will join Dan Neil, Jobe Bellingham, and Enzo Le Fee in the midfield quartet. Finally, Eliezer Mayenda and Wilson Isidor will be the two strikers for Sheffield United.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Patterson; Hume, Ballard, O’Nien, Cirkin; Roberts, Neil, Bellingham, Le Fee; Isidor, Mayenda
While Vinicius Souza, Gustavo Hamer, and Jobe Bellingham were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Eliezer Mayenda as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s EFL Championship promotion playoff final between Sheffield United and Sunderland.
The Spanish attacker has been involved in nine goals in his 13 starts for Sunderland in all competitions thus far in 2025 (G7 A2), including a strike and an assist in the Black Cats’ 2-1 win over Sheffield United on New Year’s Day. So, Mayenda will have the onus on him to deliver the goods in the final third for Sunderland this weekend.
The two teams could not have produced more contrasting victories to reach the EFL Championship playoff final. While Sheffield United hardly broke a sweat, Sunderland only managed a one-goal win in the previous round. However, after losing their final five games of the regular campaign, Regis Le Bris and his men needed a triumphant result.
While Sunderland will take the game to Sheffield United, they might not have enough quality to trouble the Blades. One can expect a closely contested affair, but it will eventually end in a win for the South Yorkshire outfit. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Chris Wilder and his charges.
