Sunderland will face Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final at Wembley next Saturday afternoon.
The Black Cats have enjoyed an impressive first season under head coach Regis Le Bris and it could be argued they have far surpassed the expectations many supporters held when the former Lorient boss was appointed last summer. Little was known of the Frenchman but his cool and composed outlook has helped lead Sunderland into the Championship play-offs and they are now potentially just 90 minutes away from ending their time in the second tier and returning to the top flight.
After claiming a 2-1 win at Coventry City in the first leg of their play-off semi-final, the Black Cats secured their place at Wembley with a dramatic late equaliser from defender Dan Ballard in the second leg on Tuesday night in one of the most memorable moments in 28 years at the Stadium of Light. All eyes are now on the final push towards promotion and next Saturday’s play-off final with Chris Wilder’s side.
After dropping back into the Championship last season, the Blades spent the vast majority of campaign in a three-way title battle with Leeds United and Burnley and seemed set to make an immediate return to the Premier League via the automatic promotion places. However, defeats against the likes of Oxford United, Millwall, Plymouth Argyle and Burnley meant Wilder and his players had to contend with a place in the play-off spots. They did take another step towards promotion into the top tier with a comprehensive 6-0 aggregate win over Bristol City in the play-off semi-final that secured their place in the battle of the red and whites under the famous Wembley arch.
There has been little to choose between the Black Cats and the Blades during the season and they have claimed one win apiece in their two meetings. But which players would make it into a combined XI? We utilised the average player ratings provided by the stats experts from WhoScored to see which players make the cut.
Stats experts combined Sheffield United v Sunderland XI
Trai Hume celebrates his goalTrai Hume celebrates his goal
Trai Hume celebrates his goal | Frank Reid
GK: Michael Cooper (Sheffield United) - 6.91 RB: Trai Hume (Sunderland) - 7.13 LB: Harrison Burrows (Sheffield United) - 7.02 CB: Harry Souttar (Sheffield United) - 6.99 CB: Harry Clarke (Sheffield United) - 7.12 CM: Jobe Bellingham (Sunderland) - 6.97 CM: Vinicius Souza (Sheffield United) - 7.08 CM: Ollie Arblaster (Sheffield United) - 7.13 RW: Patrick Roberts (Sunderland) - 6.84 LW: Gustavo Hamer (Sheffield United) - 7.07 ST: Kieffer Moore (Sheffield United) - 6.87 SUBS: Hamza Choudhary - 6.88 Jack Robinson - 6.86 Anel Ahmedhodzic - 6.81 Enzo Le Fee - 6.95 Patrick Roberts - 6.84 Dennis Cirkin - 6.90 Chris Mepham - 6.91 Simon Moore - 6.75
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