Sheffield United will be looking to add to their two-game unbeaten league streak when they host Championship newcomers tonight at Bramall Lane, days before early league leaders, Blackburn Rovers.
The Blades came close to ending a 25-year hoodoo at Middlesbrough on Sunday after Boro twice came from behind to force a 2-2 draw. The Blades haven’t won at the Riverside Stadium since 1997 but looked set to break that duck when Sander Berge charged through to score with the game three minutes old. Chuba Akpom netted the first of his double on 14 minutes, finishing Isaiah Jones’ cross from close-range. On 68 minutes, Illiman Ndiaye was rewarded for hard work down the left when his cross was lashed home by Ryan Giles, and into his own net. The win looked to be on the cards until Akpom headed home eight minutes from time to rescue a point.
The draw was enough to see United in the ninth spot, though it is likely that they will move down the division following last night’s fixtures.
Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom has somewhat of a defensive injury crisis with six defenders all side-lined through injury. United are expected to be without keeper Adam Davies (knee), as well as defenders Chris Basham (hamstring), as well as Jack O’Connell, Jayden Bogle, Jack Robinson, and Enda Stevens (all knee injury), who are side-lined through injury.
Sheffield United was victorious the last time that they faced Sunderland in a league fixture. They last met on Boxing Day 2017, before the Black Cats’ relegation from the Championship. United completed the double with a 3-0 victory, having won 2-1 at the Stadium of Light earlier in the campaign. In the festive fixture, Chris Wilder’s side swept the Mackems aside with second-half goals from Richard Stearman and George Baldock, after John Lundstram had guided United into a first-half lead.
The two sides did come face-to-face in the Carabao Cup three seasons ago, with Sunderland winning 1-0 at Bramall Lane in the third round on 25th September 2019.
Sunderland ended their stay of execution in League One in the summer after gaining promotion via the Play-Offs after seeing off Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-finals, and Wycombe Wanderers in the Final at Wembley, and ending four years away from the second tier.
Since returning to the Championship, the North East club has drawn twice at home to Coventry City and Queens Park Rangers and claimed a 3-2 victory at Bristol City, which has seen them climb to sixth in the table (before Tuesday nights fixtures). They looked all set to claim maximum points in last weekend’s fixture at home to QPR, but were denied three points by an injury-time goal, forcing a 2-2 draw.
Last Six Meetings
07.03.2004 – Sunderland 1-0 Sheffield United (FA Cup QF)
09.04.2004 – Sunderland 3-0 Sheffield United (Division One)
28.09.2004 – Sheffield United 1-0 Sunderland (Championship)
22.01.2005 – Sunderland 1-0 Sheffield United (Championship)
09.09.2017 – Sunderland 1-2 Sheffield United (Championship)
26.12.2017 – Sheffield United 3-0 Sunderland (Championship)
25.09.2019 – Sheffield United 0-1 Sunderland (Carabao Cup Round 3)