In what is regularly referred to as the richest game in club football, Huddersfield Town and Reading are hell-bent on reaching the Premier League when they clash in the Championship Play-off Final at Wembley Stadium on Bank Holiday Monday.
The Yorkshire club have never played in the Premier League before while Reading were a top flight club as recently as 2013.
Huddersfield finished the season in fifth and reached the final with a dramatic penalty shoot-out success over Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday while third-placed Reading were pushed all the way by Fulham but triumphed over two legs.
Both managers have won plenty of plaudits for their successes this season with David Wagner often likened to his friend and former colleague, Jurgen Klopp because of his approach to the game on and off the field. Royals boss Jaap Stam has also won plenty of admirers for the way he has built a team which is hard to score against, making the most of his vast experience as a top class defender.
Huddersfield have won three of their previous four play-off finals and this is their first trip to Wembley since 2011-12. On that occasion, they beat Sheffield United 8-7 in a penalty shoot-out after the game finished 0-0.
Promotion to the Premier League would complete a remarkable transformation at the famous club who were in the fourth tier as recently as 2003-04. They have not played in the top flight since 1972 under manager Ian Greaves.
This was their fifth consecutive season in the Championship and they won 25 league games having only won 26 in their previous two seasons combined. Yet defensively they haven't been as strong and actually finished the season with a -2 goal difference. Only Reading in the top six conceded more league goals than their 58. Yet they drew just six of their 46 games, the fewest in the division.
Huddersfield come into game on the back of some pretty ordinary form. They've won just one of their last seven which was against Wolves on April 25 and conceded 24 goals in the last eight defeats.
Reading have lost their last three EFL Finals and have only won at Wembley once in the 1988 Simod Cup Final, beating Luton 4-1. This is the club's fifth visit to the national stadium where they have lost three of their last four visits.
In Stam's first season in charge, Reading finished third with 85 points – 33 more than in 2015-16. Last season they finished 17th last season, 12 points from relegation and 22 away from play-offs.
This is their fourth consecutive seasons in the Championship after just one in the Premier League in 2012-13. With 26 league wins this season they have matched the win total of the previous two.
Agony or ecstasy awaits for Huddersfield Town and Reading.
Head to head
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Never met in play-offs before this season
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Never met at Wembley or in a final before
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Both teams won their home league meeting 1-0 this season – Reading on September 24 and Huddersfield on February 21
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In the last eight meetings both sides have won three and drawn two.
