Then, there were just two teams competing for the last spot in next season’s Premier League: Sheffield United versus Sunderland in what they call the “most lucrative match in sports,” the Championship playoff final.


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Everton’s final match at Goodison Park

Next Saturday, May 24 (at 10 am Eastern Time), Wembley Stadium will turn into a vast expanse of red and white stripes. Sheffield United sailed through their semi-final playoff match under manager Chris Wilder, securing a convincing victory against Bristol City with a total score of 3-0 across two legs. In contrast, Sunderland faced a much stiffer challenge in their semi-finals encounter against Frank Lampard’s team featuring Haji Wright’s Coventry City. After drawing 2-2 over the initial matches, including a narrow advantage for Sunderland following the first leg, they barely held on during additional playtime when Coventry City tied things up at 15 minutes before regulation ended, forcing another half-hour extension. The decisive moment came with just seconds left; Enzo Le Fee delivered a corner kick which Dan Ballard capitalized on by heading it home right near the end of what amounted to 121 minutes and 52 seconds of intense gameplay.

Sheffield United is striving to regain promotion to the Premier League immediately following their relegation to lower leagues last year, which marked their second demotion within four years. When they were previously sent down, the Blades managed to bounce back to the Premier League after spending only two seasons in the lower divisions. In contrast, Sunderland’s journey back has taken much longer; they departed from the Premier League in 2017 after maintaining presence there for ten consecutive seasons. Since then, they faced successive drops and bottom-of-the-table finishes before plunging into League One. It took them four challenging seasons until finally making strides towards recovery as they currently stand just one match away from reclaiming their spot among England’s elite clubs after three competitive seasons in the Championship.

Sheffield United vs Sunderland

head-to-head record

This season

In every match during the 2024-25 Championship campaign, the team playing at their home ground emerged as winners. In November, Sheffield United secured a narrow 1-0 victory at Bramall Lane despite both teams having periods where they had to play with only 10 men for more than half an hour. On New Year’s Day, Sunderland managed a thrilling 2-1 win over their opponents at the Stadium of Light.

All time

Sheffield United wins: 54

Sunderland wins: 67

Draws: 26

Sheffield United vs Sunderland

chances of being promoted, favored ones

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Sheffield United

(-150) |

Sunderland

(+120)


How to watch

Sheffield United vs Sunderland

watch live, streaming link and begin time


Kick off time:

10 AM Eastern Time, Saturday (May 24)


Venue:

Wembley Stadium — London


TV/Streaming:



Paramount+