Sky Bet League One play-off final: The stats for Rotherham v Shrewsbury
It's the turn of Sky Bet League One at Wembley on Sunday as Rotherham meet Shrewsbury in the play-off final.
The winner will line-up in the Sky Bet Championship next season, with Rotherham looking to make an instant return having been relegated during the 2016/17 campaign.
For Shrewsbury, they were the 6/4 favourites relegation back in August but are now 90 minutes away from promotion to the second tier.
EFL title sponsors Sky Bet make Rotherham the 8/11 favourites to secure promotion, whilst Shrewsbury are the outsiders at 5/4.
📈 Rotherham are hoping to bounce back to the Championship at the first time of asking but standing in their way is Shrewsbury.
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) May 23, 2018
🎥 Here's how both sides reached Sunday's @SkyBetLeagueOne Play-Off final...
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Opta facts
- Shrewsbury are featuring in their third Football League play-off final – they lost their previous two, both in League Two in 2006-07 and 2008-09.
- Rotherham are also set to play their third play-off final – they lost in League Two to Dagenham & Redbridge in 2009-10 but won on penalties in League One against Leyton Orient in 2013-14 under Steve Evans.
- In six of the last seven play-off finals in the third tier between the sides finishing third and fourth, the side finishing fourth has been promoted, although the exception was the most recent clash (Preston 4-0 Swindon, 2015).
- Rotherham were winless in 11 consecutive matches in all competitions against Shrewsbury between 2008 and 2013, but have since won two of their last three (L1).
- The Shrews have played four matches at Wembley and lost all four, including the Football League Trophy final this season. The only team to lose more often on every visit to Wembley are Brentford (five defeats in five matches).
- Should Rotherham win promotion, it will be the first time since 2006-07 that three relegated teams from one league will have been promoted the next season in the Football League – Hartlepool, Swindon and Walsall were relegated from League One in 2005-06 and promoted from League Two in 2006-07.
- Rotherham’s only victory from three visits to Wembley (D1 L1) was in April 1996 when they beat Shrewsbury in the Football League Trophy final, with current Shrews boss Paul Hurst playing for the Millers that day.
- Joe Newell has been involved in 16 goals for the Millers in all competitions this season (8 goals, 8 assists), scoring twice and assisting twice in his last five appearances.
- Shaun Whalley – who assisted Carlton Morris’ winner in the second leg against Charlton – has been involved in more League One goals (including play-offs) for the Shrews than any other player this season (20, 8 goals and 12 assists).
- Paul Hurst has managed two previous play-off finals at Wembley, doing so as Grimsby manager in the Conference – they lost on penalties to Bristol Rovers in May 2015 before returning in May 2016, winning 3-1 against Forest Green.
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Odds correct at 1120 BST (25/05/18)
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