League One play-offs: MK Dons, Wycombe, Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland vie for promotion

Liam Manning's (left) MK Dons take on Gareth Ainsworth's (second left) Wycombe while Darren Moore's (second right) Sheffield Wednesday face Alex Neil's (right) Sunderland in the semi-finals

The League One play-offs get under way on Thursday, with four clubs hoping to join Rotherham and Wigan in being promoted to the Championship.

BBC Sport takes a look at their prospects of reaching Wembley and some storylines that could make these the biggest and best third tier play-offs ever.

A clash of cultures

Wycombe striker Adebayo Akinfenwa and captain Joe Jacobson celebrate after securing a late 3-3 draw with Sunderland in January

If you want proof that there are many ways to win a game of football, you need look no further than the semi-final between MK Dons and Wycombe.

Previous Milton Keynes boss Russell Martin had instilled a passing, possession-based style before leaving for Swansea in August, and his replacement Liam Manning has continued where his predecessor left off.

Gareth Ainsworth's Wycombe, who enter as the the form side, with no defeats in their past 12 games, are a little more... direct with how they care to go about things.

Third-placed MK Dons led the way for passing accuracy, passes attempted and successful passes in League One this season. Wycombe were bottom of the pile for passing accuracy and only relegated Gillingham attempted and were successful with fewer pass attempts.

Just the raw numbers themselves are enough to show the stark contrast. MK Dons attempted 23,383 passes and were successful with 19,104 of them, while the Chairboys tried to find a team-mate on 13,340 occasions but only completed 7,850 of them.

How much that will count for now remains to be seen and Ainsworth has insisted that there are no favourites at this stage of the season.

He led the club to the Championship for the first time in their history through the play-offs in 2020 after a sixth-place finish after the season was curtailed because of the coronavirus pandemic. They enter this season's play-off having finished sixth again, courtesy of a final-day win over Burton.

The sleeping giants

Lee Gregory celebrates scoring his eighth goal in eight games in Saturday's 4-1 win over Portsmouth

It's doubtful if two clubs the size of Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland have met in the third-tier play-off semi-finals before.

The Owls are looking to secure promotion straight back to the Championship, having been relegated last season after being hit with a six-point deduction.

This is Sunderland's fourth attempt to escape League One after their dramatic fall from the Premier League saw them suffer successive relegations.

If the league meetings between the two this season are anything to go by then the neutrals could be in for a treat. The Owls hammered the Black Cats 3-0 at Hillsborough in November but revenge was swiftly and devastatingly served up when they were beaten 5-0 at the Stadium of Light in December.

Both teams ended the regular season in good form but neither has a particularly enviable play-off record.

Wednesday lost to Hull City in the Championship play-off final in 2016 before falling at the semi-final stage to Huddersfield the following campaign.

Sunderland were beaten by Charlton in the Division One play-off final in 1998 and then again in the League One final in 2019. They were beaten by Lincoln City in the semi-finals last season.

On the basis of fanbase and history, both could make a serious case for being top-flight clubs in waiting. But whatever happens in the coming weeks, at least one will be in the third tier again in 2022-23.

Twine has opponents tied in knots

Scott Twine ended the regular season with four goals in a 5-0 win at Plymouth

It's often said that the worst place to finish in the table going into the play-offs is third as you have little time to get over the disappointment of not going up automatically.

That could be said of MK Dons, who would have been promoted on Saturday had Rotherham not beaten lowly Gillingham. But given the performance they put in in their 5-0 win at Plymouth you'd be hard-pressed to say they're labouring into this stage of the season.

Their star man, and the League One player of the year, Scott Twine, 22, scored four goals in the demolition of the Pilgrims to take his tally for the season to 20 in the league.

The forward joined the Stadium MK side after his contract with Swindon ended in the summer, meaning they only had to pay a compensation fee for him in what must go down as one of the best bits of business done by any EFL club in recent years.

Regardless of whether MK Dons can get over the line to secure just a second-ever promotion to the Championship it seems impossible to imagine the free-kick specialist being in the third tier again next season.

Familiar faces

Sunderland can call on the services of Patrick Roberts (left) and Tottenham loanee Jack Clarke

Even if you've not been the most avid follower of the third tier this season you're likely to find a few well-known names and faces on display across the four semi-final games.

MK Dons have former Chelsea and Brentford midfielder Josh McEachran and ex-Sunderland and Crystal Palace striker Connor Wickham in their ranks, while veteran defender Dean Lewington, 37, has now made 739 league appearances for the club having been there since its inception in 2004.

Saido Berahino returned to English football with Sheffield Wednesday in September after two years playing in Belgium. The former West Brom and Stoke man had endured some tough years in the Potteries but has recaptured some of the form that made him an England Under-21 international.

Owls skipper Barry Bannan, 32, has enjoyed a superb season in their midfield and the former Scotland international won the division's goal of the season for his super strike at MK Dons last month.

Sunderland signed former Manchester City winger Patrick Roberts on a deal until the end of the season in January.

Big things had been expected of Roberts when he joined City from Fulham in 2015 but he made just one league appearance for the Premier League giants and had loan spells with six different clubs.

The Black Cats also welcomed back Aiden McGeady, 36, from long-term injury recently and the man capped 95 times by the Republic of Ireland could yet have a part to play.

Wycombe striker Adebayo Akinfenwa, is hanging up his boots at the end of the play-offs at the age of 40 after a long career in the EFL.

Wales international striker Sam Vokes scored for his country in their famous Euro 2016 quarter-final win over Belgium and has 16 goals to his name so far this season.

League One play-off dates

Thursday, 5 May

Wycombe v MK Dons (19:45 BST)

Friday, 6 May

Sunderland v Sheffield Wednesday (19:45)

Sunday, 8 May

MK Dons v Wycombe (18:30)

Monday, 9 May

Sheffield Wednesday v Sunderland (19:45)

Saturday, 21 May

TBC v TBC (15:00)