Check out Opta's pre-match stats ahead of the first legs in the Sky Bet Championship Play-Offs...

Sheffield United v Bristol City

• After winning the first leg of this play-off tie 3-0 at Ashton Gate, Sheffield United are now unbeaten across their last eight games across all competitions against Bristol City (W6 D2). In that time, the Blades have kept five clean sheets in total. 
• Bristol City have failed to win any of their last four away games across all competitions against Sheffield United, though three of their last four victories overall against the Blades have come at Bramall Lane.
• Sheffield United have lost each of their last two home EFL play-off fixtures (2-1 vs Nottingham Forest in 2022 & 2-1 vs Swindon Town in 2015), after going unbeaten across their first seven matches at Bramall Lane beforehand (W5 D2).
• In the history of the EFL play-offs just 10 of 60 teams have progressed from the semi-final stage after losing their first leg on home soil, though no side has ever come back from a three-goal margin of defeat at home in the first leg to reach the final.
• Throughout the regular season in the Championship, Sheffield United kept 12 clean sheets across their 23 home league games, with only top two sides Leeds (14) and Burnley (15) managing more.
• During the regular season, Bristol City won just four of their 23 away Championship games, with only five sides in the division managing fewer. Amongst the teams who finished in the top six in 2024-25, they faced the most shots (328), shots on target (106) and recorded the highest xG against tally (32.3) on their travels.
• In the first leg of this play-off tie, Sheffield United recorded 2.77 xG in total, their second-highest tally in any Championship match this season after their 3-0 win over Oxford United in November (3.56 xG).
• Gustavo Hamer created four chances for Sheffield United in the first leg of this play-off tie, the eighth time that he’s recorded 4+ chances created in a Championship match this term. Across the second tier this season, that’s the joint-most of any player alongside Luton Town’s Alfie Doughty.

Sunderland v Coventry City

• Sunderland’s 2-1 win the first leg was their first victory against Coventry since February 2007, ending a run of 10 games without a victory against the Sky Blues (D5 L5).
• Coventry have won two of their last five away games against Sunderland in all competitions (D3), having won just one of their first 18 visits to the Black Cats (D8 L9).
• Sunderland have never lost a home leg in the Football League play-offs, winning seven of their eight games (D1) at Roker Park/Stadium of Light.
• Coventry’s 2-1 loss in the first leg was their first ever defeat in the play-offs (W3 D3). They’ve won their two previous away legs (4-1 v Notts County and 1-0 v Middlesbrough), with both of these also being the second leg of the tie.
• Sunderland lost their last three home games in the regular Championship season, all by a 1-0 scoreline. They last lost four consecutive home games in all competitions in September 2017, while they’ve never done so without scoring.
• Coventry were without a win their final five away games in the regular Championship season (D1 L4), having won four in a row on the road before that.
• Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda were on target for Sunderland in their first leg victory. The last time a Black Cats player scored in both legs of a play-off semi-final was 2003-04, with both Marcus Stewart and Kevin Kyle doing so against Crystal Palace.
• Jack Rudoni has been involved in 12 goals in his last 14 appearances for Coventry in all competitions (7 goals, 5 assists), netting their goal in the first leg defeat against Sunderland.