Sunderland's surprising chances of Championship play-off glory rated ahead of Coventry City showdown

The scene is set as Sunderland prepare to visit Coventry City in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final on Friday night.

The Black Cats will be backed by another impressive band of travelling support as the two sides battle it out in front of a sell-out crowd at the CBS Arena and look to gain an advantage ahead of the second leg at the Stadium of Light next Tuesday night. Much has been made of Sunderland’s poor record against Coventry, their mixed record in the play-off games over the last 35 years and the fact the Black Cats head into the play-off semi-final in underwhelming form after failing to win any of their six games since a goalless draw at Norwich City sealed their place in the top six.

However, the unique environment provided by the play-off ties means Sunderland, Coventry, Bristol City and Sheffield United will all believe they can go into the semi-final full of belief they can take a big step towards securing visits to the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City next season.

With the first leg of the play-off semi-final now just days away, we take a look at the facts and figures provided by the stats experts at Opta to see how they rate Sunderland’s chances of landing a return to the Premier League over the coming weeks.

What are Sunderland’s chances of reaching the Championship play-off final according to Opta?

There is little between the four sides when it comes to their chances of landing a place at Wembley over the next week - although Sheffield United are rated as the most likely of the quartet to come through their semi-final tie with Bristol City. According to Opta’s Supercomputer, the Blades have a 61% chance of progressing into the final and their opponents are rated at 39%. As for Coventry City and Sunderland, it is the Sky Blues who are said to be the most likely to emerge victorious over two legs with a 54.5% chance compared to the Black Cats 45.5%.

What are Sunderland’s chances of winning the Championship play-offs according to Opta?

Looking across the semi-final and final, there should be little surprise Opta’s Supercomputer has produced a similar prediction with Sheffield United rated as the most likely of the four sides to land promotion into the Premier League. Chris Wilder’s men are said to have a 36% chance of claiming a return to the top flight, with Coventry at 25.1% and Bristol City, the only one of the quartet not to have played in the Premier League, said to have a 19.6% chance of landing a historic promotion. Perhaps more surprisingly, the supercomputer has Sunderland rated as the least likely of the four clubs to win the play-offs with a 19.3% chance of experiencing Wembley glory.

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