- Sheffield United are winless in their last two home fixtures (D1, L1).
- Hull City have won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five Championship games.
- Hull City have won ten, drawn four and lost six of their away fixtures in the Championship.
Blades in transition
Sheffield United head into this Saturday’s clash with Hull City in poor form after a run of three defeats, two draws and no wins from their last five matches.
Chris Wilder’s side are 17th in the table with 51 points from the same number of matches, while Hull City are 5th on 68 from the same number of matches.
Wilder has recently re-introduced his signature 3-5-2 system, a formation that brings plenty of width through the wing-backs and encourages players to press in numbers. The idea is to win the ball back high up the pitch and transition quickly.
Hull City, on the other hand, like to keep things neat and tidy, building from the back and playing in a compact mid-block. They’re usually much better organised at the back and are capable of striking on the break, especially when the ball is in the wide areas.
Cagey affair likely on South Yorkshire
Hull City are fancied for the win here at odds of 17/5, which looks tempting for several reasons - their position in the league table, their recent form away from home and their tactical set-up should ensure they can frustrate Sheffield United on Saturday.
The Tigers are also much more likely to take the points at Bramall Lane because they play a more structured style of football, while Sheffield United often leave too much space in the defence when the transition doesn’t work.
Game likely to be low-scoring
Hull City have conceded 26 goals in 20 Championship away fixtures, while the Blades have an average of 0.5 goals per game when hosting Hull in the last four meetings. The Tigers average 1.5 goals as away from home in this fixture over the same period.
A low-scoring match could be on the cards, but Hull should have enough quality and patience to grind out the points in this clash.
Joe Gelhardt has netted 13 goals in 34 Championship appearances and has been Hull’s main man up top in their push for promotion, while Patrick Bamford has scored nine times in 23 games in the second tier and leads the line for Sheffield United.
