Saturday 18th February | League One | Sheffield United v Scunthorpe United | Bramall Lane | Kick-off – 15:00

Team News

Sheffield United could welcome back Ethan Ebanks-Landell into the fold for this top of the table clash, after the defender missed last weekend’s win at Peterborough United with injury.

Winger Jay O’Shea could make his full debut for the Blades this weekend, whilst Leon Clarke remains sidelined with an ankle injury.

Scunthorpe boss is hopeful of receiving some positive news on the injury front ahead of kick-off.

Sam Mantom could come back into contention for the Iron after returning to full training on Thursday.

Dutchman Kevin van Veen is among the players hopeful of returning to the starting line-up.

Likely Line-Ups

Sheffield United – Moore; Basham, O’Connell, Wright; Freeman, Carruthers, Duffy, Fleck, Lafferty; Hanson, Sharp

Scunthorpe United – Daniels; Sutton, Mirfin, Wallace, Toffolo; Holmes, Bishop, Dawson, Morris; Hopper, van Veen

Match Preview

The League One promotion race is hotly contested this season and a win for Sheffield United in this one will see them look on course for the title.

The Blades are currently five points clear of Saturday’s visitors to Bramall Lane and the psychological advantage of a win for either side could be huge.

Boss Chris Wilder has done superbly well to transform the South Yorkshire-based side into promotion contenders, following years of underachievement under a string of bosses.

Scunthorpe were not really expected to be competing for promotion at the outset of the 2016/17 campaign, but Graham Alexander has got them firing on all cylinders.

The Iron are, however, without a win in three games and Alexander will be keen to close the gap and Sheffield United and reignite their push towards the Championship.

The reverse fixture saw the Blades snatch a point five minutes from time through Billy Sharp and the division’s top scorer could be a crucial player once again this weekend.

Statistically Speaking

  • Billy Sharp is the League One top scorer this season and he has netted from 58% of his shots on target this season.
  • Closely behind him in the divisional scoring ranks is Scunthorpe’s Josh Morris and he has notched 18 times during the campaign.
  • The two sides have shared 115 goals between them so far this season, so expect fireworks at Bramall Lane this weekend.

Prediction

This looks likely to be a feisty encounter on paper with so much at stake for both sides and goals should be expected. Sheffield United 3 – 2 Scunthorpe United