Wycombe Wanderers manager Gareth Ainsworth has revealed that his side are the ‘underdogs’ going into the League One play-off final against Sunderland this weekend.

The Chairboys will take on the Black Cats in the Wembley showpiece on May 21, to see which club will secure the third and final place for next year’s Championship season alongside Wigan Athletic and Rotherham United respectively.

Both sides go into the fixture on good form, but the boss has insisted that he knows the North East outfit will be labelled as the favourites.

READ MORE: Hanging in the balance - What promotion to the Championship will mean for Wycombe or Sunderland

Speaking to the press ahead of the match, he said: “We’re going to be the underdogs and that is going to be our approach as that’s how we do things here.

“This is a David and Goliath without a shadow of a doubt, and I am very proud to say that this could be the biggest away following Wycombe have had this century.

“That is phenomenal considering there were a few cup runs the club had in the 2000s (2001 FA Cup run and the 2006/07 League Cup run), and this is what football is about.

“We are a successful side in 2021/22, we’ve got 83 points and we've got nothing to lose.

“I want my boys to show what they can do.”

On reaching the final, Ainsworth continued: “We would have taken a play-off final at the start of the season all day.

READ MORE: The joy, the drama and the heartbreak: Looking back at Wycombe's previous visits to Wembley Stadium

“With everything we experienced in the Championship, we were still not fancied to go straight back up, and rightly so, as we haven’t gone straight back up, but we weren’t fancied for the play-offs.

“And this season was big because two years ago, people always say it was down to points-per-game.

“We still had to win the play-offs but that doesn’t seem to matter to anyone.

“This time, we’ve got to the play-offs after playing 46 games and we’re now in the final which is a great achievement, and I am looking forward to the match on Saturday.”

The final will be Ainsworth’s third in charge of the club following Wycombe’s appearances in 2015 and 2020 respectively.

From those two showpieces, several members of the Wanderers playing squad are still on Wanderers' books.

Gareth Ainsworth has achieved promotions with QPR, Cardiff and Wycombe as a player, and with Wanderers as a manager (PA)

Gareth Ainsworth has achieved promotions with QPR, Cardiff and Wycombe as a player, and with Wanderers as a manager (PA)

These include names such as Anthony Stewart, Joe Jacobson, Curtis Thompson, David Stockdale, Adebayo Akinfenwa, Dominic Gape, David Wheeler, Nick Freeman, and Jason McCarthy, whilst Matt Bloomfield, who played in both finals, has since retired and is now part of the backroom staff at the Adams Park club.

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The experience and know-how in facing a Wembley battle is something these players are used to, and the boss hopes that the pain of 2015 and the joy of 2020 will help those who have not represented the Chairboys in a final to rise to the occasion.

He continued: “We’ve got a bit of experience.

“I have got a few boys who were with me from the 2020 final and they know that this isn’t just another game.

“You can’t say it’s just another game as it’s at Wembley Stadium and you’ve got to embrace it.

“In a way, there is a different way of playing in a final than there is in a league game, because you’ve got to go through it to know what it’s all about.

“I was lucky enough to do it as a player, and I am hoping that some of my experienced boys who have been there and done it will help the younger ones get through.

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“The experience around the dressing room will be vital for me, and it will be an interesting dynamic with some of the boys coming through who have lit up the season.

“And that’s going to be key for us as it’s going to be the biggest crowd that most of my players have ever played in front of.

“It might be the record highest attended League One play-off final ever and the biggest support Wycombe Wanderers have taken away this century.

“The boys won’t hide away from it as I want them to embrace it and I want them to know what this is all about."

The match will kick-off at 3pm.