Speaking on BBC Radio Newcastle, journalist Luke Edwards has revealed what fans can expect from the Sunderland players on Saturday.
The Black Cats will be looking to go one step further than they did a few years ago in the play-off final when they were cruelly beaten 2-1 by Charlton Athletic with a last-minute goal, but this time they head into the match on the back of a 15-game unbeaten run.
Will Sunderland win on Saturday?
Yes!
No!
Sunderland did hit a sticky patch of form earlier this year when Lee Johnson left the club and Alex Neil took over, going on a run of one win in 10 games, but they appear to have peaked at just the right time and will be up against Wycome Wanderers – a side they’re unbeaten against this term.
Despite this being their fourth consecutive season in League One, Edwards doesn’t expect the Sunderland players to play under huge pressure.
He said: “People keep talking about the expectation on Sunderland, but I think the expectation on Sunderland at the moment is that they keep falling over, they keep failing. I think that little shift in mentality, that little shift in focus around the game, I think Wycombe are worried and I think Sunderland have been very quiet, very composed, and I think that comes from the manager.
“I think that message he’s had since [he] went there is that they’re a League One club, they’re a League One team – they’re not the great big Sunderland that was in the Premier League. They’re not even the great big Sunderland that was in the Championship, they’re a League One club and they have been for four years.
“So all of that stuff is nonsense now, and I think that’s got into the players, and I think that is perhaps the most powerful shift that you will see at Wembley, is they’re not going to go there thinking they’re under huge pressure to win the game.”
TIF Thoughts on Sunderland’s chances on Saturday…
There appears to be no better chance than this one for Sunderland to bounce out of League One as they boast a whole load of players on loan from top Premier League clubs as well as a manager that’s managed at a much higher level than this one.
This is without mentioning the impressive run of form they are on as well as the huge injury boost of having star striker Nathan Broadhead back in the fold and ready to be part of the team on Saturday, so there are surely a lot of reasons for the Black Cats to be confident.
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