Sheffield United vs Sunderland Championship playoff final predictions, betting tips and odds: Blades ready to bounce back

Where to watch Sheffield United vs Sunderland

You can watch Sheffield United vs Sunderland in the Championship playoff final at 3pm on Saturday, May 24, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football.

Sheffield United vs Sunderland prediction & best bet

Sheffield United
1pt 11-8 general

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Sheffield United vs Sunderland odds

Here are the latest odds ahead of Sheffield United vs Sunderland in the Championship playoff final.

Odds correct at time of publishing

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Sheffield United vs Sunderland predictions

Sheffield United have been on a rollercoaster ride in recent times and can return to the Premier League by defeating Sunderland in the Championship playoff final.

There have been regular ups and downs for the Blades, who won promotions in 2019 and 2023 and suffered relegations in 2021 and 2024, but they found a consistency of performance for large parts of this season and were unfortunate to fall short of the top two after finishing with 90 points.

Chris Wilder's side racked up 28 league wins, which was equal to second-placed Burnley, and seven more than fourth-placed Sunderland, who are striving to end their eight-year exile from the top tier of English football.

Reaching the playoffs represents significant progress for Sunderland, who had finished 16th in the previous campaign.

But the Black Cats slumped during the closing weeks of the campaign, losing five successive matches, and finished 14 points below the team they must compete with in the capital.

Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris came up with a plan for the playoff semi-final against Coventry, opting for a cautious style of play within a fairly rigid 4-4-2 formation, and it paid dividends with a 3-2 aggregate success.

However, Sunderland were far from convincing over the two legs and rode their luck until the second period of extra-time at the Stadium of Light when Coventry ran out of energy and ideas.

Powerhouse centre-back Dan Ballard faced a race against time to be fit for the playoffs and his return to the side made a massive difference. The 25-year-old defended superbly over the two legs and came up with the match-winning moment in the semi-final, scoring with virtually the last touch of the game.

However, despite Ballard's imperious defending, Sunderland were unable to keep a clean sheet in either match against the Sky Blues.

And they face a sterner task against United, who are more flexible than Coventry in the way that they attack.

Wilder's side have the ability to play through opposition teams but they are also a massive threat from crosses thanks to the deliveries from Gustavo Hamer and Harrison Burrows, and the aerial prowess of Anel Ahmedhodzic and Kieffer Moore.

They have shown the capacity to win games in different ways and gave an example in the semi-final, second leg against Bristol City by winning 3-0 with only a 43.5 per cent share of possession.

The Blades should establish greater control against Sunderland and they look overpriced to get the job done without extra-time to secure a golden ticket back to the Premier League.

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Key stat

Sunderland have lost six of their last seven fixtures.

Sheffield United vs Sunderland team news

Sheffield United
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi came off the bench in the second leg against Bristol City and is pushing to play a more prominent role for the Blades, but Ollie Arblaster and Rhys Norrington-Davies are long-term absentees.

Sunderland
Aji Alese, Jenson Seelt and Ian Poveda are expected to miss out but Romaine Mundle is likely to be involved after coming off the bench in the semi-final second leg against Coventry. Patrick Roberts (calf) will be assessed.

Sheffield United vs Sunderland predicted line-ups

Sheffield United (4-4-2): Cooper; Choudhury, Ahmedhodzic, Robinson, Burrows; Brooks, Peck, Vinicius Souza, Hamer; Cannon, Moore.
Subs: Rak-Sakyi, Brewster, Campbell, O'Hare, T Davies, Gilchrist, Holding.

Sunderland (4-4-2): Patterson; Hume, Ballard, O'Nien, Cirkin; Roberts, Neil, Bellingham, Le Fee; Mayenda, Isidor.
Subs: Hjelde, Mundle, Rigg, Browne, Mepham, Watson, Abdul Samed.

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Read more on the EFL playoffs:

Championship playoff final Bet Builder tips and predictions: A 10-1 treble for Sheffield United vs Sunderland   

Jamie Griffith: What can we learn about the EFL playoff finals from previous clashes? 

James Milton's football predictions: including a Championship playoff final selection 

Football accumulator tips for Saturday May 25: Back our acca at 6-1 with bet365 

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