Sunderland square off with the Blades this weekend, and in an exclusive interview with Flashscore, Poyet previews the Wembley showpiece and what it will take for the promoted teams to keep their Premier League status.
You took Sunderland to Wembley before in the League Cup, how do you manage players' emotions in a playoff final described as football's richest game?
"I try not to do anything extra that you don't do in a normal game. I don't try anything like special there. Maybe you do some motivational thing, right, because it's unique. But in general, I try not to change too much because you know the player will get affected for good or for bad. So I'm trying to be similar.
"The only thing we did at Sunderland was on the way to the stadium. We put a video on the bus all the way with action from every player and the entire process of the cup. Even with the sound of the commentators when we scored in the last minute against Chelsea.
"I think they are not favourites. I think Sheffield United are the favourites. They've been there. They went up and down.
"They got a little bit more experience, including the coach. But it's a final, and the final is one day. It's on the day who performs or who doesn't make a mistake. So many things are important, and you need to be spot on. So, let's hope they go up because that city needs Sunderland in the Premier League."
So, do you believe Sheffield United are favourites?
"I think they are favourites for many reasons. Not only the form. Their players have been in that situation.
"Sunderland had a tremendous season, then they lost five games in a row by the end, and they went into the playoffs with Coventry. Difficult for them when they won away from home. That's the typical game. I think Coventry were much better than Sunderland, but somehow they won. They had two, three chances, they scored two.
"And people were calling me all the time, they were going to Wembley. I said, 'Wait, wait, wait, it's not finished'. And when you're scoring the whatever minute it was to go to Wembley, they realised how difficult it is.
"Maybe these two games against Coventry will help a little bit for Sunderland to be in a better position. But if it was directly from the end of the season to the final, I would say to you that it was Sheffield United all the way."
'Big gap' between Premier League and Championship
Leeds are back in the Premier League. What does it take for a newly promoted side to not just survive, but thrive in their first year back? All three promoted clubs were relegated back to the Championship, making it six in a row since the previous season. It must be a tough job to survive recently. Is the current level gap to the Championship that big?
"It's a big gap in every department of a professional footballer. In the physical, in the technical, in the understanding, in the mental, the power. It’s massive, the difference, massive.
"With all respect, not only talking about Leeds, but all the teams, three or four that can perform at their best. It's the other six, they are Premiership players. But when you put these three or four players with players who never played in the Premiership, you're going to suffer. And they're going to suffer as well. So it's, it's a big gap. I saw the team this year and I saw the team last year.
"I watched Burnley with (Vincent) Kompany in the Championship, a live game. They played against Watford and I loved it. And I saw in the next year in the Premier League. They spent some money, and they tried to play the same football, and they were awful, and they went down. That shows how much different that is, okay?
"Surviving in the Premier League means you recruit very well. And I'm not saying spending money. Fulham spent 100 million, and it went down. So it's not about spending money, it's about recruiting very well, and having a system of play that you can cope with the Premiership or most of the teams. So, you need to have something special."
From your experience at Elland Road, what makes Leeds United different from other clubs you've been at, especially regarding fan expectations?
"The crowd, the city. Unbelievable. I promise you, it's unbelievable. And I know that the Chelsea fans will hate me for saying that, because in the '70s they were killing each other, but I'm not going to lie.
"I was there, and the support was unbelievable. We were playing League One football, we were going away and taking 10,000 people. It was spectacular. We had the whole stand behind the goal, it was all Leeds United."
Follow Sheffield United v Sunderland in the Championship playoff final with Flashscore.