It’s the Championship Playoff Final, and our betting expert is siding with the Blades in their Sheffield United vs Sunderland predictions piece.
Sheffield United vs Sunderland Prediction: Bets, Context, and Lineups
Best Bets for Sheffield United vs Sunderland
- Sheffield United to win and Under 2.5 Goals at odds of 4.33 with 1xBet
- 2nd Half (Half With Most Goals) at odds of 2.15 with 1xBet
- Sheffield United to score first at odds of 1.92 with 1xBet
The Blades should be able to beat Sunderland 1-0 and return to the Premier League.
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Our Analysis: Form of Both Teams
Third-placed Sheffield United meet fourth-placed Sunderland in this weekend’s 2024/25 EFL Championship Playoff Final at Wembley Stadium.
Sheffield United ended the regular season with 90 points in third place - 14 points clear of Saturday’s opponents, Sunderland. In most Championship seasons, 90 points would’ve been enough to clinch at least the second automatic promotion spot.
Chris Wilder’s men made it look easy in their Playoff Semi-Final against sixth-placed Bristol City. United eventually ran out 6-0 winners on aggregate. However, their history in playoff finals is hard to ignore. They’ve reached four finals in their history and lost all of them without even registering a goal. They’ll need to put that history behind them if they are to secure an immediate return to the Premier League.
Sunderland’s route to Wembley was far less straightforward. Their cagey two-legged semi-final with Coventry appeared all set to go to extra time in the second leg before Dan Ballard’s towering header in the final seconds of injury time.
Sunderland’s biggest issue was their approach across both legs. In truth, Coventry controlled large periods of each game and were the more composed side at both ends of the pitch. Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats are a young squad and might lack the experience needed to deal with the big occasion.
Probable Lineups for Sheffield United vs Sunderland
Sheffield United Expected Lineup: Cooper; Choudhury, Burrows, Ahmedhodzic, Robinson, Brooks, Hamer, Peck, Souza, Cannon, Moore
Sunderland Expected Lineup: Patterson; Hume, Cirkin, Ballard, O’Nien, Le Fee, Roberts, Neil, Bellingham, Mayenda, Isidor
Blades to Get the Job Done in Tight Game
Sheffield United won with a clean sheet in 46% of their regular Championship season. They also kept clean sheets in both legs of their semi-final with Bristol City. Sunderland have also averaged fewer than a goal per game (0.96) conceded this season, so a low-scoring affair feels likely.
In fact, ten of the last 12 EFL Championship Playoff Finals have finished with two or fewer goals scored. The immense stakes put a lot of pressure on both sets of players. However, with United’s recent promotion experience, we believe their expertise will be enough to get the job done in a tight encounter.
Given the historical data on low-scoring finals, we’re surprised the betting markets believe there’s only a 23.09% chance of the Blades winning and fewer than three goals being scored. This stands out as the value bet among our three Sheffield United vs Sunderland predictions.
- Sheffield United vs Sunderland Bet 1: Sheffield United to win and Under 2.5 Goals at odds of 4.33 with 1xBet
Match to Open up in Second 45
Given what’s at stake, we also believe the first half will be an incredibly tight and tense affair. Both sides are likely to play it safe in the opening exchanges, which will probably result in both teams cancelling each other out.
That’s why we’re happy to back the final to feature more goals in the second half than the first at an odds-against price.
Sheffield United and Sunderland have both averaged first goal times around the 45th minute this season. With the final likely to be cagier than a typical Championship fixture, the first goal scored is more likely to come in the second period.
United to Break the Deadlock
The Blades have scored first in almost three-quarters (70%) of their Championship games this season. That’s well above the league average of 46%. Meanwhile, Sunderland have scored first in 52% of their matches, but they have averaged just 1.26 goals per game this season, relying heavily on Wilson Isidor.
With Sheffield United our favourites to win the match outright, we’re also happy to back them to score first at an almost even-money price. The betting markets currently give the Blades a 51.28% chance of breaking the deadlock at Wembley.
United also kept a clean sheet in 48% of their Championship games this season, which further suggests Sunderland could struggle to score first in north-west London.
- Sheffield United vs Sunderland Bet 3: Sheffield United to score first at odds of 1.92 with 1xBet