Everything is still to play for going into the last day of the season. There are so many permutations, and Sunderland's play-off place isn't even secure. It's possibly the tightest League One has ever been, certainly since we've been down here.
ROTHERHAM
The Millers can secure automatic promotion with a win over Gillingham at the weekend, but with The Gills needing at least a point to have any chance of surviving the drop, three points are far from guaranteed. Should Rotherham fail to get three points, MK Dons could leapfrog them for 2nd with a win over Plymouth, leaving Rotherham in the playoffs and a potential opponent for us.
Rotherham are the best defensive team in League One, conceding only 33 goals in 45 league matches. Sunderland fans have seen first-hand how defensively good they are after the team went 90 minutes and failed to register a single shot on target during Tuesday's 1-1 draw—only getting on the scoreboard thanks to a Robin Van Persie-Esque headed own goal by Michael Ihiekwe.
Rotherham also has strength up top in the form of a Mag, Michael Smith, who has 31 goal involvements in 51 appearances. Rotherham are a team Sunderland have to be hoping doesn’t make the playoffs as their big physical style has proved hard to figure out for both old and new managers. Under Lee Johnson’s command, we lost 5-1 at their place in an absolute hammering.
MK DONS
Should MK Dons fail to beat Plymouth or Rotherham beat Gillingham, they will finish third and be left in the playoffs despite a late-season surge up the table.
MK Dons are a team that has made an unlikely run since the start of January, only losing one game in twenty, shooting up the table from 9th to 2nd, until back to back losses in April has left them in 3rd.
We beat MK Dons 2-1 at their place in our second game of the season, in a game that feels like it was played years ago, given the season we’ve had. However, when weighing up a potential playoff matchup, the more important game to look at is our second game against MK Dons, Alex Neil’s second game in charge. That game ended 2-1 to The Dons, with former Sunderland player Connor Wickham scoring the winner.
MK Dons are a dangerous team with a lot of depth in attacking positions, with Twine, Parrott, Eisa and of course Wickham getting on the scoresheet this season. Their run of form and depth up front makes them a scary prospect in the playoffs.
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
Sheffield Wednesday control their own destiny. If they win this weekend against Portsmouth, they will finish 4th and secure a playoff berth.
A team that has lost just one of their last ten league games is not the ideal playoff opponent. The Owls are a team boasting plenty of technical ability and experience with names like Barry Bannan, Saido Berahino, Lee Gregory and Dominic Iorfa.
This season, our games in the league against Sheffield Wednesday could not have been more polar opposite, losing 3-0 at their place in November last year and then getting revenge less than a month later with a 5-0 victory, thanks to a Ross Stewart hat-trick.
With the names in their squad and the form they are on, you would expect to see The Owls in the playoff final. But with them being our most likely opponent should we make the final, I hope it isn’t the case.
PLYMOUTH
With only one win in their last six, Plymouth are the one playoff contender that seem to be running out of steam. The Pilgrims are sitting in 6th, equal on points with Wycombe just below them. Plymouth has the more difficult fixture at the weekend, playing MK Dons, who are playing for potential automatic promotion, while Wycombe plays Burton.
Plymouth are the most likely team to miss out on the playoff spots, but should they make it, they would be the most desirable opponent, given their lack of form, and they have failed to beat us this season. We took the home fixture 2-1 in December, while we drew 0-0 at Home Park earlier this month.
While the 0-0 was a cagey affair, with both teams playing cautiously, It felt like a game we could have taken control of, and Plymouth rarely challenged our defence. This leads me to believe we would be considerable favourites in a potential playoff meeting.
WYCOMBE
As mentioned above, Wycombe are 7th, tied on points with Plymouth, who sit in 6th but hold the more favourable fixture on the final day of the season. If Wycombe take three points on Saturday, they have to hope MK Dons avoid defeat against Plymouth, and they will finish in the playoff spots.
Wycombe are on an 11 game unbeaten run and are coming off a 1-0 win over fellow play-off hopefuls Sheffield Wednesday. This form holds them in excellent stead should they make it to the playoffs.
However, Wycombe are one of the more defensively suspect teams in playoff contention, conceding 50 so far this season. In both league games against Wycombe this season, we have scored three goals taking the home fixture 3-1 in August last year, while in the reverse fixture, Wycombe stole a draw with a 98th-minute equaliser making it 3-3.
Previous games show we should be able to score goals against Wycombe should we meet in the playoffs, but a team in their form will be a dangerous opponent for anybody.
Back on Wearside, Alex Neil has totally transformed Sunderland's fortunes. We are now a defensively robust side, capable of playing slick attacking football when the opportunity arises. One of Neil's most impressive traits is his ability to change tact dependant on the opponent we come up against, which will put us in great stead in the play-offs.
We're on an unbeaten run, and everyone knows how important good form is in these situations. This season is arguably our best chance off getting back into the Championship, since our relegation all those years ago.
