Sunderland out to seal promotion at Wembley
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris is determined to complete the "purpose" he set out for his team last summer and win promotion to the Premier League.
The Black Cats take on Sheffield United at Wembley Stadium in the EFL Championship play-off final on Sunday (AEST), with Sunderland out to end an eight-year exile from the top-flight.
Le Bris took over from caretaker boss Mike Dodds, who had been in place since Michael Beale was sacked in February, in June 2024, arriving from French side Lorient.
Sunderland finished 16th last year but has been among the play-off places for much of this campaign, and has not been lower than fourth for the duration of the season.
Its fate looked set to be decided on penalties in the second leg of the semi-final clash with Coventry City after Ephron Mason-Clark had levelled the tie on aggregate.
However, Dan Ballard's last-gasp goal in extra-time sealed its place at Wembley, although Le Bris revealed a top-six finish was the ambition since he arrived at the club.
"We are exactly where we wanted to be at the start of the season," Le Bris said.
"When we first met with the players, I asked them 'what is the purpose of the season?' They told me they wanted to get promoted. Here we are and we have this opportunity."
This is Sunderland's third second tier play-off final, losing to Swindon Town in 1989-1990 before losing to Charlton Athletic on penalties in 1997-1998 after a 4-4 draw.
The only previous meeting between Sunderland and the Blades in the play-offs came in the 1997-1998 semi-final, with the Black Cats winning 3-2 on aggregate.
However, Chris Wilder's team goes into this game as the favourite.
The Blades finished 14 points ahead of Sunderland in the regular season, which is the biggest points difference between two EFL play-off finalists in the current format, which began in the 1988-1989 season.
Le Bris, however, knows the potential of his players, explaining that watching some of Sunderland's matches from last season showed the raw potential of its young squad.
"For me, it was not a surprise, but for a team that finished 16th, maybe the step could have been a bit high," he said.
"When I analysed different games, it was really obvious that this team was able to play really good football but had a lack of consistency.
"For me, it was possible to improve the consistency through the methodology, through the work we can have during the season.
"The weakness was identified, and then it was a question of work and different improvements during the season."
Of their starting XI in the two legs of their play-off semi-final success over Coventry, Luke O'Nien was the only player aged older than 30 and Patrick Roberts the only other past 25.
With so many young players in Sunderland's ranks, while the Blades boast a number of players that have Premier League experience, it is the first Wembley outing for many.
But Le Bris ensured that the emotion of the occasion would not affect his young squad, even with the prize of top-flight football within touching distance.
"It's not always a question of age, it's a question of connection with the path," he said. "You can be 17, and you can be ready for this fixture.
"Or you could be 30, and probably have problems managing your emotions. The players seem mature for this event."
