The Football League season is coming to a very gradual end, and what a season it has been. Teams across the Championship, League One and League Two have been battling it out for either promotion or relegation, as is always the case on a year to year basis. The unpredictability of such a race can often lead to some of the best football we see anywhere in Europe all season, and when we say the best, we of course mean the most entertaining. Now, though, it’s time to get down to the real business end of the campaign, with the play-off finals across all three divisions going down this weekend.

The game that we’re going to be looking at today is the second of the three finals, set to be contested by Charlton Athletic and Sunderland. Both teams have had strong seasons, but when you think of these two teams going up against one another, you think of the 1998 Championship play-off final. These two sides shared eight goals in what is widely considered to be one of the most fascinating play-off games of all time, and this time around, you could argue that the eventual victor is going to be just as surprising one way or the other.

Charlton were widely considered to be the best of the four teams entering the play-offs this season, and that comes as a result of their performances throughout the course of the campaign. Things are all set up for them to get the job done and take that next step towards Championship football, but of course, it doesn’t always work out like that. The Addicks have struggled when it comes to consistency in recent years and that isn’t exactly a groundbreaking statement, but now, it’s all or nothing – and they usually handle those situations pretty well (historically speaking).

Sunderland are known for their strong fanbase, but in recent years, they’ve been known best for their decline. They have tumbled down from the Premier League into the third tier of English football, and given the stature of the club, that just isn’t good enough. This game serves as the perfect opportunity for them to bounce back into a state of relevancy once more, and it’s hard to look past them. When you consider the story they’ve had in recent times, it seems almost inevitable that it’s going to end with the confetti falling down and the Black Cats going back up to the Championship.

Charlton’s last six games have been fairly mixed, starting off with a 2-1 loss to Oxford United. They went on to have an absolutely fantastic run to end the season, scoring 10 unanswered goals against Scunthorpe United, Gillingham and Rochdale. Up next was the play-off semi finals where they met Doncaster Rovers, and after a 2-1 win in the first leg, it seemed like they were destined for Wembley. Donny had other plans, though, and pushed them all the way to penalties where Charlton were just about able to scrape through after what can only be described as a valiant effort from Rovers.

Sunderland had the definition of an end of season collapse, ruining any hopes they had of securing automatic promotion in the process. They had back to back 1-1 draws against Peterborough and Portsmouth, before consecutive losses at the hands of Fleetwood and Southend left them with next to no momentum heading into the play-offs. Thankfully they were able to just about edge a 1-0 win over Portsmouth in their semi final first leg, and then in the return fixture, they edged their way through to Wembley with a 0-0 draw. It’s not the most remarkable way of getting to the big dance, but hey, they’re here and that’s all that matters.

In terms of the overall head to head standings there’s been very little to separate these two clubs over the years, with Charlton leading 29-28 in the standings (with 21 draws). They’ve squared off twice this season so far with the first meeting actually taking place on the opening day, with Sunderland scoring a late winner to pick up three points after suffering relegation the year prior. On January 5th they met once again in a 1-1 draw, which kind of tells you all that you need to know regarding how closely contested this game is expected to be.

It’s always nice to have a fully fit squad ahead of a game as big as this one, and that’s the exact position Lee Bowyer finds himself in with Charlton. The same team that started against Doncaster in the second leg could well start in this one, which leaves Jonny Williams being forced to settle for a place on the bench. Even with that being the case, though, you’d have to imagine they’ll be feeling incredibly confident about their chances – although they need to make sure the risk of overconfidence doesn’t lead to their downfall.

Aiden McGeady has already scored at Wembley for Sunderland this season, and the Black Cats will be hoping that he’s fit enough to feature once again, but it’s a big uncertainty right now. He has missed their previous four matches courtesy of a foot injury, and it seems like it’s going to be a gameday decision regarding whether or not he’s able to play. Aside from that it seems like Sunderland have a relatively clean bill of health, but even with that being the case, it’ll be very interesting to see what kind of squad Jack Ross puts out tomorrow.

Charlton vs Sunderland Betting Prediction

While we don’t exactly think we’re going to be seeing eight goals flying in during this one, we do think that end to end entertainment is going to be the name of the game. Charlton will need to neutralise Sunderland from the word go, because it feels like they’re going to throw everything at them in the early stages. If they can calm the tempo down and not be drawn into a fire fight, then this really does feel like their play-off final to lose.

We can see Sunderland getting on the scoresheet and even taking this game into the dying minutes, but in the end, it feels like Charlton are just going to be too good for them. Sunderland will need to lick their wounds and recover but as we’ve seen before, staying in League One for a bit isn’t always the worst thing in the world. They’re in a great position to rise back up and challenge for the title next season if they don’t gain promotion tomorrow, and either way, their future looks a lot brighter than it did just twelve months ago.

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