Brentford make the long journey north to Sheffield on the opening day of the 2017/18 Championship season for a face off with new boys Sheffield United, in what promises to be an entertaining encounter.

Chris Wilder’s Blades walked League One to secure promotion back to the second tier, and fans of the south Yorkshire outfit will feel their club are well placed to achieve a comfortable mid table finish in the division.

Wilder has managed to retain the core of the squad that won the title last year, and has moved to improve his unit with the additions of Enda Stevens, George Baldock and Ched Evans from the lower tiers of the English Football League.

Brentford boss Dean Smith saw his side enjoy a phenomenal second half to the season, which uncoincidentally coincided with the return of Spanish wizard Jota from a loan spell with Eibar, and the acquisition of Sergi Canos in a £2.5 million deal from Norwich.

The Spanish pair combined well with Danish striker Lasse Vibe to light up the division, and the trio will look to continue this form into the new campaign.

Florian Jozefzoon has been added on a permanent deal from Dutch giants PSV following a 6 month spell at Griffin Park, and Henrik Dalsgaard and Luke Daniels have been added to the bolster the squad ahead of a top six push.

Dalsgaard impressed in Belgium last year with Zulte-Waregem, and Bees fans will be keen to see exactly what their new man is all about.

The match up at Bramall Lane will give both sides a good indication of how far they have come this summer, and with more faces set to join the clubs over the course of pre season, this game could be the one to watch.

At this stage of the summer however, I feel that Brentford have too much quality in their squad for the Blades to match them, and Wilder needs to evolve his side from League One winners to Championship competitors if he is to challenge the Bees on the opening day of the season.