"All due respect to Sunderland" - Big Sheffield United claim made ahead of Championship play-off final | OneFootball

The Blades amassed 90 points in the Championship this season, 14 more than Sunderland

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Only one side has failed to be promoted from the modern Championship, having picked up at least 90 points - Leeds United last season. Sheffield United are eager not to add their name to that list this coming Saturday when they face Sunderland in the play-off final.

The Blades ended up finishing 14 points ahead of their opponents in the Championship season, but part of that was due to the final six games, where the Black Cats picked up just one point, compared to Sheffield United's seven.

Nevertheless, that means that, through 40 games this season, Chris Wilder's side picked up eight more points than Sunderland and, having not needed to get out of first gear in their play-off semi-final rout over Bristol City, you wouldn't blame some Blades fans for feeling confident in becoming a Premier League club once again this weekend.

That confidence doesn't stop at Jimmy, FLW's resident Sheffield United fan pundit and host of the Blades Ramble podcast, who believes that all his side needs to do to win on Saturday is just by playing the way he knows they can.

Sheffield United's "best" beat Sunderland at Wembley

When asked how Sheffield United beat Sunderland this Saturday, Jimmy put it simply: "We beat Sunderland by playing to our best.

"If the best Sheffield United side and the best Sunderland side turn up, then Sheffield United will get promoted, and that's with all due respect to Sunderland, who undoubtedly have match winners in their squad.

"We've shown this season that we've been the better side this year. Nothing will be taken for granted, but I know that if we play to our best, then we are heavy favourites to be promoted.

"Fingers crossed we can do it. I'm confident that we can."

How the two sides fared against each other earlier this season

Whilst Jimmy believes that Sheffield United's best outperforms Sunderland's peak, there's no doubt that, if the game follows a similar trajectory to their two meetings during the season, it'll be a highly entertaining game.

The two sides split their games during the season, winning their home games against each other. The battle at Bramall Lane saw two red cards issued, whilst the Sunderland victory at the Stadium of Light saw a missed penalty from Kieffer Moore and an own goal from Luke O'Nien in a frantic first half.

Stats from those games show that, on face value, the two sides matched up well against each other across the season, albeit with Chris Wilder's side dominating the ball with little success in their loss on New Year's Day.

Sunderland will likely look to play without the ball come Saturday, too, given it worked to perfection in their semi-final triumph against Coventry. However, Sheffield United were at their attacking best against Bristol City, scoring six across both legs and creating even more chances that weren't put away.

Perhaps this Saturday's battle could be more of a chess match as the Blades look to break down Sunderland whilst avoiding being hit on the break. Nevertheless, it will make for an entertaining clash at Wembley to see who will step up to the Premier League.