Lee Bowyer and Jack Ross’ sides go head-to-head at Wembley for a place in next season’s Championship after two strong 2018-19 campaigns
Former Premier League stalwarts Charlton Athletic and Sunderland will be able to take a step back towards the top when they meet in the League One play-off final on Sunday.
Lee Bowyer and Jack Ross’ sides are set to square off at Wembley with promotion to the Championship the prize on offer this weekend.
Both the Addicks and the Black Cats will be chomping at the bit to return to the second tier – but only one can join Luton Town and Barnsley achieving their goal.
The former are yet to get the better of the latter this season – but they will hope that they can finally come up trumps on the biggest stage of them all.
| Game | Charlton Athletic vs Sunderland |
| Date | Sunday, May 26 |
| Time | 3:00pm BST / 10:00am ET |
In the United States (US), the match can be streamed on ESPN+.
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| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | ESPN+ |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football. It can be streamed via the Sky Go app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports Football | Sky Go |
| Position | Charlton squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Phillips, Maxwell |
| Defenders | Purrington, Sarr, Bauer, Bielik, Dijksteel, Page, Pearce, Solly |
| Midfielders | Aribo, Cullen, Morgan, Marshall, Forster-Caskey, Fosu-Henry, Reeves, Pratley, Williams, Lapslie |
| Forwards | Parker, Taylor, Vetokele |
Lee Bowyer will likely keep faith with the same XI that overcame Doncaster in a thrilling second leg penalty shoot-out, despite Chris Solly’s hopes of a recall.
Anfernee Dijksteel has held down the right-back position well in his absence and will likely retain that spot.
Possible Charlton starting XI: Phillips; Dijksteel, Bauer, Sarr, Purrington; Cullen, Bielik, Morgan; Aribo; Parker, Taylor.
| Position | Sunderland squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | McLaughlin, Ruiter, Stryjek |
| Defenders | Matthews, Oviedo, Loovens, Flanagan, Baldwin, Ozturk, O’Nien, Dunne |
| Midfielders | Leadbitter, Morgan, Cattermole, Maguire, McGeouch, Honeyman, Gooch, O’Nien, McGeady |
| Forwards | Wyke, Watmore, Grigg |
With no fresh injury concerns, Jack Ross will also look to keep his Black Cats side the same after they ground out a 0-0 draw against Portsmouth to progress on the South Coast.
A 4-3-3 formation will give them width at the back as the former St Mirren man looks to sign off his first season at the helm in style.
Possible Sunderland starting XI: McLaughlin, O’Nien, Ozturk, Flanagan, Oviedo; Power, Cattermole, Leadbitter; Honeyman, Wyke, Maguire.
Sunderland are the marginal favourites to reach the Championship with a win and are priced accordingly at 29/20 with bet365 . Charlton are meanwhile available at 2/1 and a draw is 21/10.
Click here to see more offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.
It’s do-or-die time for Charlton Athletic and Sunderland as the pair prepare for a big day out at Wembley this weekend in the League One play-off final.
Victims of financial difficulty at various points in recent years, it’s a tribute to their players and, in particular, managers Lee Bowyer and Jack Ross that the duo stand on the cusp of Championship football – though of course, only one can triumph under the Arch.
Both teams reached the showpiece game in contrasting fashion, with the Black Cats grinding out a 0-0 draw against Portsmouth and the Addicks forced into a penalty shoot-out result against Doncaster.
The latter have endured a difficult period under the ownership of Roland Duchatelet, who is expected to look to sell the club in the near-future.
But Bowyer, the latest in a line of managers under the Belgian, has brought some much needed stability to the London outfit and is now only 90 minutes or so away from a berth in the second tier.
“No one tipped us to be in the top six so to have a day out at Wembley, it’s a great achievement for our football club,” he told talkSPORT.
“At the start of the season, the big thing for me was to try to bring the fans and players together because everyone knows there was a lot of negativity around the football club before I came in.
“I wanted to bring them back together and make sure they were part of the journey that we were going to go on.”
Ross meanwhile has drawn his strength from the example set millennia before, by military tacticians of ancient times.
“I am fascinated with leadership and have been for a number of years,” the former St Mirren boss was quoted by Sky Sports . “[I’ve been] going back to some of the Roman generals and how they studied Alexander the Great.
“For me it is about knowing everything I do this week is done properly and thoroughly.
“Once I feel I have achieved that, the closer the game comes you get caught up in the emotion but you also have to understand that taking your team to Wembley in that kind of atmosphere and with that crowd you can’t affect that much from the sideline because nobody can hear you.”