Sunderland manager Alex Neil has dropped a bold claim on the Sheffield Wednesday supporters ahead of their upcoming League One play-off match against the Owls on Friday night.
The Lowdown: The ultimate face-off
The Black Cats cemented a place in the top six of the second-tier at the end of the season alongside the Yorkshire outfit, and they are now set to face each other in the first leg of the play-off semi-final at the Stadium of Light.
The two sides both won their respective home games against each other earlier in the campaign, so the support from those in the stands could hold massive weight on the result, and whilst the 40-year-old boss previewed the crunch clash, he was full of praise for both sets of fans.
The Latest: Neil’s admiration
During his pre-match press conference on Thursday, Neil said: “I’m probably gonna offend a few teams here, but it's probably the two most well supported teams in the league.”
The Verdict: Electric atmosphere
There’s no doubt that the atmosphere inside the ground will be absolutely buzzing, with both teams looking to make the jump up to the Championship next season.
Sunderland are reported to have sold a staggering 35,000 tickets for the game and are aiming to have a total of more than 45,000 in attendance. If the club were to achieve this, it would beat the 38,000 that were at the Doncaster fixture back in February, which was officially recorded as the largest crowd outside of the Premier League this campaign.
Whoever manages to seal the victory in this tie will have one foot in the play-off final, which is set to take place at Wembley Stadium on May 21st, and could be joining Wigan Athletic and Rotherham in their promotion parties.
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