The dilemmas facing Alex Neil ahead of Sunderland taking on Wycombe Wanderers in the League One play-off final

Sunderland will be looking to secure a return to the Championship this afternoon when they take on Wycombe Wanderers in the play-off final at Wembley.

Having suffered at heartbreak at this stage in the past, all connected to the Black Cats will know how it can go wrong this afternoon. However, there will be a real confidence that Alex Neil’s men can get over the line after beating Sheffield Wednesday last time out.

Of course, the Chairboys will provide a threat but there is a belief within the Wearside outfit that they can be victorious.

With no fresh injury concerns, Neil is likely to go with many of the side that got Sunderland to this stage, but we look at TWO dilemmas the boss will be facing going into the game…

What system to go with

The former Norwich City chief has proven to be tactically flexible in his career and it’s certainly the case with Sunderland,.

To the surprise of a few, Neil ditched the back three that had worked for his side to go with a 4-2-3-1 for the win against the Owls. So, he now has a decision to make.

Was that switch specifically to overcome Wednesday? Or was it to ensure he got an extra attacking player on the pitch given the talent he has in his squad?

Pleasingly, the players have shown they can get results with both, but it will be interesting to see how they line up at Wembley later on.

Does Nathan Broadhead start?

The on-loan Everton man has been one of Sunderland’s standout players this season, scoring ten times in 21 appearances, with many of those crucial goals.

So, he would be in the best XI normally but the issue is he picked up an injury on the final day of the regular season. Whilst Broadhead managed to come on as a very late sub at Hillsborough, he still may not be fully fit.