Scunthorpe United and Charlton Athletic will likely threaten Sunderland’s League One promotion bid but which other sides will also challenge?
Sunderland start life in League One next season and will be hoping to quickly forget their past two campaigns, where they were subject to back-to-back relegations from the Premier League and most recently the Championship.
However, with a new man at the helm in Stewart Donald and a manager likely to be announced very soon, the Black Cats will be hopeful of a successful campaign. Although it certainly will not be an easy ride in the third tier of English football.
So which teams are likely to threaten a Black Cats promotion bid?
The League One play-off final this Sunday between Rotherham United and Shrewsbury Town will likely leave the loser of the tie as one of the favourites to compete with the Black Cats next season.
Both sides have enjoyed good campaigns. Shrewsbury finished the season in third spot, winning 54% of their games, whereas Rotherham finished in fourth, eight points behind their opponents.
Scunthorpe United also enjoyed a good campaign, reaching the play-offs after an excellent end to the season, but just fell short of a shot at promotion after being beaten by Rotherham over two legs in the semi-final.
However, key to their promotion bid will be whether they can keep hold of one of their key performers from last season – Ivan Toney. The man on loan from Sunderland’s local rivals Newcastle was among the league’s best performers last campaign.
The 2018/19 League One campaign could be one of the most competitive yet, with many other teams also looking to challenge favourites Sunderland.
Former Premier League sides Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth could also mount a challenge.
However, despite other teams looking to compete for the league title, it will remain in Sunderland’s hands to live up to expectations and return to the Championship at the first time of asking.
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