'Need to be wary' - David Prutton fires Sheffield United warning at Sunderland ahead of Championship play-offs

EFL pundit David Prutton has claimed that Sunderland “need to be wary” of Sheffield United heading into this month’s Championship play-offs, but has suggested that the race for promotion is likely to be “fairly even across the board”.

Both the Black Cats and the Blades are already assured of their place in the top six, and will be joined by either Bristol City, Coventry City, Millwall, Blackburn Rovers, or Middlesbrough, depending on how results pan out on the final day of the regular campaign this Saturday.

To that end, Sheffield United and Sunderland will not meet in the semi-finals, given that they have guaranteed themselves third and fourth-placed finishes respectively, but Prutton still believes that if Regis Le Bris’ men are to seal a long-awaited return to the Premier League over the coming weeks, they will have to overcome Chris Wilder’s side.

What has David Prutton said about Sunderland play-off hopes?

Speaking to Football League World, the Sky Sports pundit reflected on Sunderland’s current run of four successive league defeats, while also suggesting that the Black Cats still have plenty of reasons to be positive following their impressive campaign under Le Bris.

He said: "They've had a very long time, haven't they, to look at what the play-offs could look like, given the wonderful work that they'd done, getting ahead of the curve. We could look at their recent form. Yes, potential concerns with how they need to hit [momentum] into the play-offs. But, let's not forget the tremendous job Regis Le Bris has done with a very young squad and going up against some proper Championship big-hitters.

"First and foremost, let's keep it positive. Well done with that. Secondly, it's about being able to hold their nerve and perform on these days. We saw a couple of years ago, it was something that they couldn't manage. However, maybe that has changed, maybe that experience from a club point of view stands them in better stead.”

He continued: "Could I see them winning the play-offs? I think Sheffield United will really have the bit between their teeth and will attempt to do it by hook or by crook and the other teams in it need to be wary. However, barring some last-day shenanigans and momentum that sees a team crashing into the play-offs, I think it's fairly even across the board.”

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What has Chris Wilder said about Sheffield United’s play-off hopes?

Speaking recently, the Sheffield United boss has suggested that he believes it is important to enter the play-offs on a positive run of momentum. Addressing the club’s in-house media in the aftermath of a 2-0 victory over Stoke City on Friday evening, he said: “To get back to winning ways was important, there have been a lot of things to balance in the last few days,

“The energy of the group has been outstanding since Monday night and the energy of the supporters was amazing. People perhaps thought we’d be taking it easy, taking our foot off the gas but we know you can’t do that, you can’t just turn it on and off, it was important we went full tilt and we never tough a step back in what was a physical game.”

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