Sheffield United will aim to strengthen their position in the top two of the Championship table on Saturday, when they welcome Preston North End to Bramall Lane.
The hosts sit two points clear of third spot in the automatic promotion race, while their visitors sit 15th in the midst of a four-match winless run.
Match preview
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Sheffield United return to Bramall Lane on Saturday in search of back-to-back victories in their Championship automatic promotion bid, having rebounded from a setback to stay second last weekend.
In search of an immediate return to the Premier League under the management of Chris Wilder, the South Yorkshire outfit have enjoyed a strong campaign thus far, overcoming a two-point deduction to sit in the top two on 73 points from 35 outings, having won 23 of those and only lost six, beginning in August with a 1-0 away win over Saturday’s visitors thanks to an Oliver Arblaster goal.
That position is largely down to their strong home record, having won 12 of their 17 league outings at Bramall Lane and amassed 38 points, most recently hosting league leaders and Yorkshire rivals Leeds United in late February on the back of four straight second-tier wins.
The Blades led through an Ilian Meslier own goal in that contest but eventually fell to a 3-1 defeat following late goals for the visitors from Junior Firpo, Ao Tanaka and Joel Piroe, and they were able to make a return to winning ways in a trip to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, eventually standing strong for a 2-1 victory at Loftus Road having taken a 2-0 lead through Ben Brereton Diaz and Tyrese Campbell.
With third-placed Burnley having since won their game in hand on Tuesday, Sheffield United find themselves just two points ahead of the chasing pack and three behind Leeds with 11 Championship games remaining, and they will now aim to make it consecutive three-point hauls to strengthen their advantage heading into the final run-in.
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In their way stand a visiting side led by Paul Heckingbottom, who oversaw the Blades’ promotion to the Premier League in the 2022-23 term before being replaced by Wilder before their relegation last time around.
Heckingbottom took over as Preston North End manager in August after just two games of the Championship season and has seen them move into 15th spot with 43 points on the board, overseeing nine victories and eight defeats in that time, albeit with seven of those losses coming from their 16 away league games under the new boss.
Following draws at home to Burnley and Millwall and an away loss to Coventry City, the Lilywhites hosted rivals Burnley again last weekend and booked an FA Cup semi-final spot with a 3-0 triumph, as Robbie Brady and Milutin Osmajic netted first-half goals and Will Keane put the game out of sight 17 minutes from time.
Aiming to build on that result and get back to winning ways in England’s second tier, Heckingbottom’s men then hosted Swansea City on Tuesday and had to settle for a share of the spoils as the contest ended goalless.
While they have dropped down to 15th place as a result of their slower run in recent weeks, Preston North End do remain just two points behind Millwall in the top half, and they will aim to record a 10th league win of the campaign on Saturday and just a fourth away from home to quickly improve their standing in mid-table.
Team News
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Sheffield United should field a similar starting XI from last week’s win over Queens Park Rangers, with right-backs Harry Clarke and Alfie Gilchrist set to remain sidelined by injuries alongside midfielder Oliver Arblaster.
Tyrese Campbell should continue to lead the line after hitting hit seventh league goal of the season last time out, likely getting the nod over Tom Cannon and Kieffer Moore,while Gustavo Hamer, Callum O’Hare and Ben Brereton Diaz should again line up in support.
Sydie Peck will hope to again join key man Vinicius Souza in the engine room, despite competition from Tom Davies and Hamza Choudhury, while Femi Seriki could return to the right-back spot from the outset in the absence of Clarke and Gilchrist following his own injury layoff.
Preston North End continue to deal with an unenviable injury list, as defenders Jordan Storey and Jack Whatmough and midfielders Ben Whiteman, Duane Holmes, Mads Frokjaer-Jensen and Stefan Thordarson could all remain confined to the treatment room.
Ali McCann was also forced off with an injury in Tuesday’s draw and could miss out on the weekend’s trip, potentially forcing Brad Potts to deputise alongside Ryan Ledson in midfield given their absences in the centre.
Ahead of them, Sam Greenwood will take up an attacking midfield role, with Emil Riis and Will Keane competing to join top scorer Milutin Osmajic, who has netted 13 goals so far this season, up front.
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Cooper; Seriki, Ahmedhodzic, Robinson, Burrows; Peck, Souza; Brereton Diaz, O’Hare, Hamer; Campbell
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Porteous, Lindsay, Gibson; Kesler-Hayden, Potts, Ledson, Brady; Greenwood; Keane, Osmajic
We say: Sheffield United 1-0 Preston North End
Following consecutive clean sheets, Paul Heckingbottom and his Preston North End side will look to damage his former club’s promotion hopes on Saturday, but they could fall just short given the quality throughout the Blades’ squad and their renewed confidence from last week’s away win.
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