Huddersfield Town vs Reading. Sky Bet Championship Play-Offs Final.
Wembley StadiumAttendance76,682.
Huddersfield Town win 4-3 on penalties.
Monday 29 May 2017 14:55, UK
A place in the Premier League awaits either Huddersfield or Reading as the two sides prepare to meet in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final on Bank Holiday Monday.
David Wagner and Jaap Stam will send their sides into battle at Wembley, live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 2pm, knowing just one more win will be enough for the Royals to bag a return to the top flight for the first time since 2013, while Huddersfield have been waiting for 45 years.
Here's your ultimate guide to the game...
Huddersfield have no new injury worries and Wagner could pick the same side that saw off Sheffield Wednesday in the second leg of their semi-final at Hillsborough.
Danny Ward will retain his place in goal after returning from suspension for the second leg, and he could be making his final appearance for the club alongside fellow loanees Aaron Mooy and Izzy Brown.
Reading captain Paul McShane remains absent through suspension, with Tiago Ilori set to retain his place in their defence.
Jordan Obita has been struggling with an ankle problem but Stam is hopeful he'll be fit in time for the game.
Wagner: "There'll be no secrets on Monday. Jaap and I have also met before twice in friendlies with Dortmund and Ajax's second teams when he was their assistant.
"We know what to expect from Reading and they know what to expect from us. For us, it's very important to stick to our identity and be focused. Reading play very decent football and we have to make everything right to be successful. We have to leave our comfort zone and this is what my group will do for sure."
Stam: "Wembley is always a special occasion. It's a great pitch and stadium and a lot of fans will be there. As a player, you need to enjoy that.
"I'm very proud already in spite of the result. It'd be nice if we can have a good score but these games are always tight. We know we're playing a very good team who can play in possession, have pace up front and are confident on the ball. We know we need to work very hard to get a result and make it difficult for them."
This will be the sixth meeting in all competitions between these sides since Wagner took charge of Huddersfield in November 2015 - in the previous five both have claimed two victories each and shared a draw.
Reading are looking to secure promotion through the play-offs for the first time, having failed to make it through on each of the last five occasions (1995, 2001, 2003, 2009 and 2011).
Huddersfield are only the fourth Football League club to reach the final of the play-offs in all three divisions after Blackpool, Preston and Swansea - only Blackpool have won all three.
The Royals have lost in each of their previous three play-off final appearances, while only Sheffield United have lost more (4).
The Terriers have been promoted from three of their four play-off finals, winning promotion in 1995, 2004 and 2012, with the latter two coming in penalty shootouts after goalless draws. The exception was a 3-0 defeat to Peterborough in 2011 in League One.
Reading side could become the 11th team to win the playoffs having finished third in the Championship regular season - the third-placed team has previously won it on 10 occasions (36 per cent of the overall finals since 1989).
Following Huddersfield's 4-3 penalty shootout win over Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-final, they have now won all five of their penalty shootouts in the play-offs - no other side has ever won more than one.
Promotion to the Premier League for either club will see an uplift in revenue of at least £170m, rising to more than £290m if they survive their first season in the Premier League.
The winner of the Football League Championship play-off final, along with already promoted Brighton and Hove Albion, can expect a revenue increase of at least £170m across the next three seasons.
This is a combination of extra revenue they will earn from playing in the Premier League in 2017/18 (at least an extra £95m, mostly from central distributions) and parachute payments in 2018/19 and 2019/20 should they be relegated after one season (totalling an estimated £75m across two seasons).
Reading or Huddersfield, and Brighton, could see this figure rise to at least £290m if either club survives its first season in the Premier League.
Leading Reading's charge will be their talismanic striker, Yann Kermorgant, and his ability to outwit Huddersfield's Christopher Schindler will be central to this fixture.
Aside from a disrupted season last year, the Frenchman's steadily defied the expected curve of veteran strikers, improving his goal return year after year. The 35-year-old finished this season with 18 Championship goals, a career-best return in England and a tally bettered by just five other players in the division.
Looking to nullify this attacking platform will be Schindler. The German centre-back has been a mainstay at the heart of Huddersfield's defence this season, playing more Championship minutes than any other team-mate. Schindler's average of 4.5 aerial duels won per 90 minutes far exceeds his defensive colleague's 2.8, suggesting Huddersfield would be wiser to have the 27-year-old marking Kermorgant.
"Both sides like the ball but their styles are still slightly contrasting. Reading have had a very obvious way of playing all season with that possession-based style that requires a lot of patience from the fans, players and staff alike, but they've been rewarded by it.
"Huddersfield, meanwhile, are a bit more dynamic and more of a high-pressure team who like to win the ball back high up the pitch then use it really well. It's going to be an intriguing battle and it could come down to the key men on the pitch to decide the game.
"I can't wait for it! Wembley will be packed and it's going to be an incredible occasion. They're both fantastic stories and it's very reassuring for young managers coming into that level of English football. I'm leaning more towards Huddersfield but, for the purposes of balance, I did say twice that Reading would get beaten by Fulham!
"It just seems like the romance is there for the Terriers to confound everything and become a Premier League team. And what an achievement that would be."
DAVID PRUTTON PREDICTS: Huddersfield to win 1-0 with Nahki Wells to score first (20/1 with Sky Bet)
