It's the so-called "richest game in football", with the big money of the Premier League up for grabs as Sheffield United and Sunderland prepare to face off in this season’s Championship play-off final at Wembley on Saturday.
As the two sets of supporters head south to the capital, United and Sunderland experienced very different play-off semi-final victories. The Blades eased past Bristol City 6-0 on aggregate, while the Black Cats required a last-gasp Daniel Ballard header, deep into extra time, to prevent a penalty shootout against Coventry City at the Stadium of Light.
Those results masked an otherwise disappointing end to the campaign for both sides, with United sliding away from the top-two race and potential automatic promotion, while Sunderland appeared to be resting and rotating for their play-off campaign – but perhaps went a little overboard in terms of taking their eye off the ball, with just one victory in their last seven regular-season matches.
For Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United side, Saturday represents an opportunity to immediately bounce back to the big time following their relegation from the Premier League in 2023/24. On the other hand, Sunderland are aiming to return to the top flight for the first time since their relegation in 2016/17.
As we build up to all the action at Wembley on Saturday we bring you all the best odds, tips and betting predictions for the match.
Odds are correct with the listed firms at time of publish but are subject to change.FREE BETS: Bet £10 and get £50 in free bets when you open a new account with Betfair. Click for details
Sheff Utd vs. Sunderland prediction, tips, bet builder and odds
Under 2.5 goals in 90 minutes — 8/15, Betfair
While Saturday will be filled with tension, it may not necessarily be full of attacking intent.
Play-off finals, albeit always gripping given the importance riding on the game for both sets of fans and players, are often fairly tedious to watch from a footballing perspective.
In Championship play-off finals specifically, that trend is even more pronounced with just 18 goals scored in the last 12 finals since Crystal Palace defeated Watford after extra time with a Kevin Phillips penalty in 2013.
Nine of those 12 matches have featured at least one of the two sides keeping a clean sheet, and that goes for three of the last four, too. Following that trend is seriously tempting, with Betfair offering 8/15 on under 2.5 goals in the 90 minutes.
Wilson Isidor to score the last goal of the game — 6/1 (AK Bets)
Another interesting pattern to look at is that the last three finals to be decided by a solitary goal all involved the teams that finished third and fourth in the regular season. Fulham defeated Aston Villa in 2018, Nottingham Forest edged past Huddersfield Town in 2022 and Leeds United lost to Southampton last year.
While it's not always as simple as following what has happened in the past, a tight game is very likely given the ways in which these two sides approach things.
Chris Wilder, a man of pragmatism, has overseen one of the better defensive records in Championship recent history, with 36 goals conceded in 46 games, with the excellent Michael Cooper between the sticks.
Sunderland, on the other hand, have scored more than a solitary goal in a game on just three occasions in their last 16 games, and they haven’t scored more than twice in a game since a 3-2 win away at Middlesbrough in early February.
Backing a last goal scorer is therefore a good option, as there could well only be a single goal in the game. Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor is the top scorer from this season on either side with 13, and he's priced up at a tempting 6/1 for that market.
Sheffield Utd vs. Sunderland predicted score and most likely results
TSN Pick: Sheffield Utd (11/8, Betfair)
Score prediction: Sheffield Utd 1-0 Sunderland (11/2, Paddy Power)
With all that in mind, the seemingly likeliest outcome for Saturday’s encounter would be a slender victory to either side, with United favourites for the tie.
The Blades finished 14 points clear of Sunderland during the regular season and clearly put their disappointment of missing out on automatic promotion behind them to clinically and professionally dismantle Bristol City in the semi-finals.
Sunderland, in contrast, have an array of individual talents who don't appear to be currently functioning cohesively. Even then, the likes of Isidor, Jobe Bellingham and Enzo Le Fee's individual quality is matched, if not bettered, by Sheffield United’s frankly ridiculous squad for this level.
Here's the most likely results for this one, according to Paddy Power.
OFFER: Bet £5 for £30 in free bets when you sign up for a new account with Paddy Power. Click for details
How to watch Sheffield Utd vs. Sunderland Championship play-off final
Date: Saturday 24th May, 2025
- Venue: Wembley Stadium, London
- Time: 15:01 BST
- TV/Stream: The Championship play-off final will be televised live on Sky Sports and can also be streamed via the Sky Go app.
RELATED LINKS: