MY ACCOUNT
The Football League’s first play-off final of the season will take place at Wembley on Saturday as Sunderland and Wycombe compete for a spot in the Championship next season.
Since taking over from Lee Johnson at the Stadium of Light, Alex Neil has steadied the ship in the North East and now the Black Cats are one game away from returning to the Championship after a four-year absence.
In their time in League One, they have suffered play-off heartache twice — in 2019, they were defeated 2-1 by Charlton after conceding a last-minute goal in the final, while Lincoln got the better of them in the play-off semi-finals last year, winning 3-2 on aggregate.
Wycombe meanwhile have been a model of stability for over a decade under the stewardship of Gareth Ainsworth and they are aiming for a second League One play-off final win.
Two years ago, they beat Oxford 2-1 in the final and although they were relegated straight back from the Championship, their strong end to the season has helped them get into the top six this term.
Team news
Sunderland have a near fully-fit squad to choose from with only defenders Niall Huggins and Jordan Willis missing from action.
Carl Winchester could be in contention for a return after recovering quicker than expected from a groin injury.
Aiden McGeady and Leon Dajaku are also in contention though Neil is likely to stick with the players who helped Sunderland get to Wembley following a 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday in the second leg of their play-off semi-final.
Wycombe trio Anis Mehmeti, Jack Young and Nick Freeman have taken part in training as they look to get back to fitness but Ainsworth is also likely to stick with the same side that overcame MK Dons.
The 40-year-old Adebayo Akinfenwa is playing for the final time before hanging up his boots but any appearance is likely to come off the bench with top scorer Sam Vokes instead preferred.
The stats
Prior to the play-offs, both Sunderland and Wycombe enjoyed excellent endings to the season which helped them come though their respective semi-finals.
The Black Cats ended the regular season with a 13-match unbeaten run which was ultimately extended to 15 by Patrick Roberts’ stoppage-time equaliser at Hillsborough, with the Mackems having won the first leg against the Owls 1-0 at the Stadium of Light.
The Chairboys’ end-of-season run without defeat was 12, with Ainsworth’s men then beating third-placed finishers MK Dons 2-0 at Adams Park — ultimately enough to secure a Wembley date despite a 1-0 defeat in the second leg.
This season’s head-to-head record suggests Sunderland might be the favoured team — they defeated Wycombe 3-1 at home before being denied the double in a 3-3 draw at Adams Park with Joe Jacobson equalising for the hosts in the 98th minute.
Overall, the Buckinghamshire outfit have taken just one victory from six meetings with the Wearsiders, although there have been three draws.
Predictions
Given how similar the two sides’ run of form is and the fact half of their meetings have ended all square, extra-time could well be needed to separate the pair on the big occasion.
Wycombe have recent Wembley success in their favour after defeating Oxford, while Sunderland may be scarred from the memory of the Charlton game but did defeat Tranmere in the final of the Papa John’s Trophy last year.
With all that in mind, the Chairboys might be the team to edge this and prolong the third-tier misery for the Black Cats.
However, this looks set to be a closely-fought affair with little between the two sides in terms of the league standings as well as both scoring and defensive records.
With both teams reluctant to throw away the chance of Championship football with expansive, attacking play, a victory could well be by a one-goal margin.
