Burnley
Blackburn Rovers
Coventry City
Derby County
Leeds United
Luton Town
Middlesbrough
Millwall
Norwich City
Portsmouth
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield United
QPR
The Championship play-off final is just around the corner, and fans from across the game have been voting for the past week as to who will win the Wembley showcase, with one clear winner.
Both Sheffield United and Sunderland, who finished third and fourth in the final Championship table, have made their way to the £240m game at Wembley this weekend after very different, but equally impressive, wins in the semi-finals.
Chris Wilder’s Blades are touted as the favourites in many circles thanks to their strong showing in the league this year, while Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats are sure to pack a surprise or two on the big day.
The head-to-head record between the two sides gives little away, but if you ask football fans who will win on Saturday, it’s glaringly obvious who they’re backing.
What Sunderland and Sheffield United fans are saying about the play-off final
Before the play-offs began, we asked fans on Twitter/X to share their predictions and Sunderland came out on top, albeit by a relatively fine margin at the time.
Now, ahead of the all-important final, we asked fans to pick between Sunderland and Sheffield United, and it seems there’s a great swell of support for and confidence in the Black Cats.
Sunderland received a whopping 84.7% of the 144 votes cast in our Twitter/X poll this time, which equates to a rough total of 121 votes. Sheffield United came in with a 15.3% chance of success, receiving just 23 votes.
Among the replies to the poll, one Sheffield Wednesday fan wrote: “Three quarters of Sheffield are behind you, Sunderland.”
A Sunderland fan replied: “Sunderland have shown over the two legs some spirit. I trust Regis Le Bris and the players.” Another added, “Anything could happen.”
Meanwhile, a Norwich City fan posted: “I want it to be Sunderland (because we all hate Sheffield United) but I think United will have too much on the day.”
Of course, just like last time and with any polls like this on social media, we have to take these results with a pinch of salt. Does this mean Sunderland are overwhelming favourites to win? Not necessarily. Does it mean lots of Sunderland fans care very much about their team? Probably.
Still, it’s fascinating to hear the comments from neutrals, from which it sounds like Sunderland are definitely the team most people want to see winning the big game at Wembley.
But, to triumph, Sunderland must prove the supercomputer predictions wrong, with Sheffield United a massive 61% favourite to triumph according to those results.
Results prove Sunderland are massive
If anything, the results of this poll prove one thing we already knew: Sunderland are a massive football club, and they probably deserve to be in the Premier League.
That incredible support Sunderland can rely on will make a huge difference on Saturday, and it could be enough to tip the scales in their favour.
Sheffield United have failed in eight attempts at the play-offs, but Chris Wilder has never actually lost a play-off game. On Saturday, something will have to give.
Sunderland, meanwhile, have succeeded in the play-offs not so long ago, and almost go into this game with very little pressure or weight of expectation against a stronger team. With that freedom and the dangerous, counter-attacking players they possess, anything can happen at Wembley.