Sunderland predicted XI vs Sheffield United: Patrick Roberts dropped, Le Bris makes one change
Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris is set to name his most important starting 11 of the season when the Black Cats take on Sheffield United at Wembley in the Championship playoff final on Saturday, 24 May.
The Mackems are vying to win promotion back to the Premier League for the first time since suffering relegation from the top flight in 2017.
Le Bris’ men headed into the playoffs in poor form, but showed their counter-attacking class when they beat Coventry City 2-1 on away soil in the first leg of their semi-final.
Sunderland then drew 1-1 with the Sky Blues at the Stadium of Light, thanks to Dan Ballard’s dramatic 122nd-minute equaliser, and progressed to Wembley via an aggregate score of 3-2.
Roberts dropped as Chris Rigg named in Sunderland predicted XI
The Black Cats have reached the Championship playoff final in Le Bris’ first season in the Stadium of Light dugout.
Sunderland’s strong season has been epitomised by the togetherness within their squad, while Le Bris named the same starting lineup for both legs of their playoff semi-final with Coventry.
| Opponent | Result |
| QPR (H) | 0-1 L |
| Coventry (A) | 2-1 W |
| Coventry (H) | 1-1 D, Sunderland win 3-2 on aggregate |
With that in mind, Football Insider have predicted that the Frenchman will make just one change in personnel for the Mackems’ trip to Wembley.
Winger Patrick Roberts lacked cutting edge in the final third in both clashes with Coventry, and has not scored since December.
Le Bris could therefore drop Roberts in favour of Chris Rigg, allowing the 17-year-old to operate in the ‘number 10’ position, while Eliezer Mayenda could play out wide, leaving Wilson Isidor as the sole striker.
Sunderland can take confidence from their last encounter with Sheffield United
The Championship playoff final marks a rare showpiece in the footballing calendar in which the two sides face a one-off encounter to book their spot in next season’s Premier League.
But while Sunderland and Sheffield United will both have their minds set on Wembley and will no longer be thinking about the rest of the season, the Mackems can take plenty of heart and confidence from the fact that last time out against the Blades, they emerged as 2-1 victors at the Stadium of Light as both Mayenda and Isidor got themselves on the scoresheet.
Furthermore, Le Bris’ men can take plenty of momentum from the dramatic fashion of their triumph over Coventry in the semi-finals.
However, the Black Cats know they are in for a tough battle against Chris Wilder’s men, who finished third in the Championship and scored six goals without reply against Bristol City in the playoff semi-finals.