Sheffield United can clinch place in Championship play-off final but big questions remain about their Premier League prospects

Blades boss Chris Wilder is on the brink of enjoying a return to the Premier League (Picture: Getty Images)

Sheffield United already have one laced-up football boot in the Championship play-off final at Wembley later this month and the Blades can start booking trips to London as soon as the final whistle blows on their semi-final second leg with Bristol City at Bramall Lane.

They can also order bottles of bubbly to celebrate an immediate return to the Premier League as they are clearly the best team in the running for the potential jackpot return of £300million.

Whoever is promoted to join the English elite will need to spend a hefty sum to stay up as Leicester, Ipswich and especially Southampton all fell woefully short this season and, apart from maybe Leeds, the clubs climbing out of the second tier don’t look strong enough unless there is very heavy investment in players capable of shining at the higher level.

Burnley may have finished with the same points as Leeds, both hitting the 100 milestone, but the Clarets defence is unlikely to be as stingy as it was this season and their lack of goals will be something than has to be remedied.

That’s apart from the fact it is difficult to find one, let alone two teams who will be worse than they were this time around. Wolves? Maybe if they do not strengthen. West Ham? They also need to build a better squad but they won’t be worse than the three promoted clubs.

Tottenham and Manchester United? Their poor seasons are surely one-offs and they will be pressing for some form of European football at the sharper end of the table. The promoted clubs must use the likes of Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Brighton and Brentford as the yardsticks for success with the aim to build a steady platform for progress.

Bristol City striker Nahki Wells will have his work cut out at Bramall Lane (Picture: Getty Images)

The Blades are the best of the rest currently chasing promotion and have the advantage of experiencing the Premier League last term. They lead Bristol City 3-0 after their first-leg success at Ashton Gate last Thursday so the return is surely a foregone conclusion even if the Robins score an early goal.

The red half of the Steel City can celebrate victory on home soil at 23/25 with BetMGM and Unibet and a Sheffield United win by more than one goal is 19/10 with the same firms, who also go 47/20 Tyrese Campbell scores at any time.

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