Former Sunderland forward Stephen Elliott believes his old club could capitalise on the pressure Sheffield United are under and claim three points against them tomorrow evening, penning his column for the Sunderland Echo.

The Black Cats are arguably back in the play-off race following their 1-0 away victory against Norwich City on Sunday, with those three points potentially being crucial for them as they look to remain within the promotion mix.

However, there aren't huge expectations of them at this point because of the absence of Ross Stewart and the fact they only sealed promotion back to the Championship last year.

The Blades, meanwhile, are at the other end of the scale in terms of the pressure they are under, currently sitting just four points above Middlesbrough at this stage and are at risk of losing second place unless they can find some consistency again.

Losing against Luton Town at the weekend, Boro capitalised on that by getting another three points on the board and Michael Carrick's side's consistency means they are likely to be challenging for a top-two spot from now until the end of the season.

It may be difficult for the visitors to stay calm and collected at a noisy Stadium of Light - and Elliott believes this pressure factor is something the Wearside outfit could weaponise to secure back-to-back victories.

He wrote: "Sheffield United on Wednesday will be a tough game as they have Middlesbrough breathing down their necks for that second automatic promotion spot.

"Hopefully Sunderland can capitalise on that pressure and stick some more points on the board."

The Verdict:

This certainly looks set to be a tasty clash and with both sides having something to play for, this game is anything but a dead rubber.

For the Black Cats, it will be about how they manage to cope without a big presence like Ross Stewart up top, with the Blades potentially able to defend comfortably against the Wearside outfit if the likes of Patrick Roberts and Jack Clarke fail to stand out.

United's defence can certainly be vulnerable at times and this is why the hosts should have hope tonight - even with Anel Ahmedhodzic returning last weekend after serving his suspension.

In terms of the Blades, they just need to express themselves and try to exploit a side that are suffering with injuries at this point.

The Wearside outfit certainly aren't at their strongest at this point and this is something Paul Heckingbottom's men will be looking to capitalise on - but the pressure on the away side is immense at this point.

Even if they don't perform well, they just need the points at this stage and they will be desperate for three tomorrow night.