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Huddersfield have a fairly recent 'muscle-memory' of play-off success, albeit under a different regime, although only Jonathan Hogg survives from the squad which was selected five years ago to face Reading.

That side under David Wagner played out a 0-0 draw before showing their nerve to win 4-3 on penalties.

There have been other highlights, notably at Wembley when Neil Warnock's side beat Bristol Rovers to win promotion to the second tier in 1995, with goals from hometown boys Andy Booth and Chris Billy earning a 2-1 win.

They beat Mansfield at Cardiff in 2004, but conversely lost to Peterborough at Old Trafford in 2011. The following year Sheffield United were edged at Wembley to reach the Championship on penalties.

However, they've also endured plenty of heartbreak in the semi-finals across the years too. How about 2002, 2006, 2010, Brentford, Barnsley, Millwall.

Call it the 'exodus', but Nottingham Forest fans have left the city in their droves in cars, on coaches and of course, on trains.

It's been "mayhem" in the fair city this morning, as demand has tested supply on the rails.

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Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper is looking to make it third time lucky in the play-offs.

The former England Under-17 coach reached the play-offs in both his seasons with Swansea but lost to Brentford on both occasions, including at this stage in 2020-21.

He took over a Forest side who had taken one point from their first seven matches before caretaker Steven Reid had led them to victory at Huddersfield.

From there they barely looked back and went into the final week of the regular season in contention for automatic promotion.

His contract with the Reds only runs until the end of next season and you'd imagine one way or another he'll be managing in the Premier League sooner rather than later.

You can read an in-depth overview of Cooper's coaching career from our colleagues at BBC Sport Wales here.

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What a difference a year makes.

Carlos Corberan's first season in charge of Huddersfield had started well but ultimately petered out badly as they finished in 20th position.

With budgets being tightened he had to rely on free transfers and loans in the summer window as he sought to overhaul a squad that still had some unwanted players from their two-year spell in the Premier League.

Expectations from outside of West Yorkshire might have been low but the Spaniard, who worked alongside Marcelo Bielsa for two years at Leeds, was rightly confident in his meticulous methods.

This is the first time the Terriers have finished with a positive goal difference since 2011-12, when they won promotion to the Championship through the play-offs.

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Philip Talbot: I’m a Londoner who was the only kid in school supporting Forest from 1967. Went to Nottingham Uni just to watch Forest. Glory years. Fall to League One was painful. Now it’s our big chance. Come on you Reds.

Caroline Crollick: Forest. Considering where we were at the start this very much could be 'I believe in miracles II'.

Tony Carter: Good luck to both teams in the final. A lot of neutrals would love Forest to win but Huddersfield have had a fantastic season and don't write them off .

Moses: I'm going for Nottingham Forest, can't wait to see James Garner in the Premier League.

Forest midfielder Garner is on loan from Manchester United, of course, so might we see him in the top flight next season no matter what the result is this afternoon?

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Huddersfield Town boss Carlos Corberan has said he has spoken "a lot" with former Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa.

Corberan spent two years working with the Argentine before leaving to take over at Huddersfield in July 2020.

"I have spoken to him a lot, we spoke in the last week, we spent a good time talking," the 39-year-old said.

"He is someone who always gave me the best support, and since I began managing Huddersfield he has been giving me a lot.

"And in different moments, such as in the first year when we were suffering, and maybe now the team is in a good position.

"He was watching our games, he will watch the play-off games."

Patrick Stewart has voiced an emotive Huddersfield Town video that is being played out over the PA at Wembley.

Forest fans have responded to it, with boos and then a rousing chorus in support of their team.

Midway through, Forest boss Steve Cooper appears on the touchline and those in red and white rise in applause.

The atmosphere is being cranked up to 11, Spinal Tap would be proud.

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This is the last of the three play-off finals, with League One and League Two already completed.

Saturday's final in the fourth tier was a pretty one-sided affair, as Port Vale hammered 10-man Mansfield 3-0 to win promotion to League One.

Vale took the lead through Huddersfield Town loanee Kian Harratt before James Wilson made it 2-0 after just 24 minutes.

Things went from very bad to terrible for the Stags when Oli Hawkins was sent off in the 35th minute.

Darrell Clarke's men comfortably managed the game out from there and got a third late on through Mal Benning.

Ian Woodcock
BBC Sport at Wembley

Both teams are out for their warm-ups now.

Huddersfield will look to contain Forest with their 3-5-2 formation and cause damage on the counter-attack.

The Terriers have been superb defensively all season and in winger Sorba Thomas, who makes his first start since April after a knee injury, they have a player who can create havoc from open play or with set-piece deliveries.

Forest make their big call up top, with Keinan Davis coming in for Sam Surridge.

Surridge played well in both legs against Sheffield United so it's a big call, but Davis has been excellent for the Reds since joining on loan from Aston Villa in January

Sulaimon Adelekan: I am rooting for Huddersfield all the way. I can't wait to see Sorba Thomas in the Premier League, he is so talented but it would be heartbreaking for Nottm Forest and their talented bunch.

Image source, Rex Features

We'd love to hear from you today.

Who are you backing for this one and why? Score predictions are also very welcome.

Get in touch using #bbcefl on Twitter

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If Huddersfield's start to the season was poor it was nothing compared to the catastrophe at Nottingham Forest.

The Reds took just a single point from their first seven league matches to register their worst start to a season in 108 years.

That did for boss Chris Hughton and Steve Cooper was appointed with the primary aim of getting the club clear of the relegation zone.

He managed that and then some.

Young Wales forward Brennan Johnson starred alongside vital contributions from Middlesbrough loanee Djed Spence and January loan addition Keinan Davis.

They travelled to second-placed Bournemouth in their penultimate game of the season, knowing a win would have put them in the driving seat to go up on the final day, but fell to a 1-0 defeat.

Progress to the play-off final looked to be a formality when they went into the second half of the second leg of their tie with Sheffield United 3-1 up on aggregate, but then the collywobbles set in and the Blades scored twice to take the game to penalties. Goalkeeper Brice Samba, aided by his water bottle, held his nerve to send the club to a first ever play-off final.

You can read how Forest went from fearful to phenomenal here.

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Hopes of ending the season 90 minutes away from the Premier League were not particularly high in Huddersfield in August.

The Terriers drew with beleaguered Derby on the opening day before being stuffed 5-1 at home by eventual champions Fulham in their first game in front of their own fans since February 2020.

However, despite off-the-field concerns abut the club's ownership, Town turned their season around in dramatic fashion.

Goalkeeper Lee Nicholls, signed after a season as number two at MK Dons, kept 19 clean sheets, while the form of ex-Boreham Wood winger Sorba Thomas saw him called up to the Wales squad.

Nobody in the Championship went on a longer unbeaten league run than their 17 matches between November and March.

A third-placed finish set up a play-off semi-final against fellow surprise package Luton Town and a goal from club legend Jordan Rhodes, who returned to the club on a free last summer, sent them to Wembley with a 2-1 aggregate win.

Image source, Rex Features

Given all that has happened with the world in the past two years, there has been nothing quite so special as the sight of fans strolling down Wembley Way again in their thousands.

Some clutching scarves, some clutching flags, everyone clutching a bit of hope that it will be their day.

Both sides have a decent story to tell in terms of a 'journey', the crawl from struggle through to potential glory.

Progressive, bright young managers have made the difference at both Town and Forest, but as we discover, it's not always been plain sailing.

Ian Woodcock
BBC Sport at Wembley

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The atmosphere is just starting to build up here inside Wembley as fans find their seats for the first capacity Championship play-off final since 2019.

Friends and family of the Forest players are sitting just to my right, on the other side of the press box.

David Johnson, father of Reds star forward Brennan Johnson, will hope his son can do what he failed to do and win promotion through the play-offs for Forest.

Ex-Reds defender Steve Chettle is also amongst their number, though, amusingly he's wearing a top with Joe Worrall's name and number on the back.

Game recognise game I guess?

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Huddersfield: Nicholls, Colwill, Lees, Sarr, Pipa, Hogg, O'Brien, Sinani, Toffolo, Ward, Thomas

Subs: Blackman, Pearson, Anjorin, Rhodes, Holmes, Turton, Russell

Nottm Forest: Samba, Worrall, McKenna, Cook, Spence, Zinckernagel, Garner, Yates, Colback, Davis, Johnson

Subs: Horvath, Figueiredo, Lowe, Surridge, Mighten, Cafu, Lolley

Sorba Thomas and Danny Ward get the nod for Huddersfield Town, while Matty Pearson makes the bench.

On-loan Aston Villa man Keinan Davis comes in for Sam Surridge as Nottingham Forest make just the one change to their side, in attack.

Image source, Rex Features

And, what about Forest eh? Generations of fans have been brought up on stories about Joe Baker and Ian Storey-Moore, John Robertson, Garry Birtles and 'two European Cups', the likes of Stuart Pearce, Des Walker and Nigel Clough parading trophies in the warm Wembley sunshine.

They'll seem like fairytales to many youngsters, who have only known days languishing in the second tier or worse.

And, yet now, after a frankly ridiculous rise from the bottom of the table to the cusp of automatic promotion - and now a play-off final under Steve Cooper, they too can believe.

It's 23 years since the City Ground last hosted top-tier football. Too long for those on Trentside. Old eyes might just mist over under the arch, as their recollections of walking down Wembley Way flood back. It's changed a fair bit since their last visit in 1992.

That's what it's really about.

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Take Huddersfield for instance. What a weekend for the town.

The Giants in the final of the most prestigious competition in rugby league on Saturday, and their footballing counterparts Town at Wembley today aiming for promotion.

History runs deep at Huddersfield. Herbert Chapman's three-in-a-row title-winners. Bill Shankly as manager, Denis Law in the frontline. Neil Warnock's Wembley winners, with Andy Booth leading the attack and Chris Billy heading one in for promotion. More recently, Aaron Mooy tearing up the Premier League alongside cult heroes like Christopher Schindler and current skipper Jonathan Hogg.

Civic pride, pride in your town. The Cowshed rocking as the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal run out at the John Smith's Stadium. Not to mention derbies with Leeds back on the calendar.

They've had a taste of the top flight before, under David Wagner, and their appetites are whet again.

That's what it's really about.

Image source, Rex Features

So, here we are then. It's often dubbed 'The richest game in football'.

Which to me makes it the gaudy equivalent of two wrestlers drop-kicking each other off steel ladders in an attempt to get a briefcase full of cash.

Yes, there are some big paydays available for the team that wins promotion to the Premier League, but there's got to be more than that, surely?