Sheffield United manager Slavisa Jokanovic has warned his players they will be in trouble at times against Championship rivals Millwall tonight, speaking to The Star ahead of this tie.
The Blades have suffered with mixed form during the 2021/22 campaign so far, winning just two points from their opening five games before the first international break of the season and losing two consecutive games against Middlesbrough and league leaders AFC Bournemouth before the most recent interval.
They did respond well with a late 2-1 win against promotion candidates Stoke City at the weekend, but very nearly fell short again with Jacob Brown opening the scoring for the Potters at Bramall Lane before two goals in the last ten minutes salvaged the three points for the Blades.
This was a symbol of the South Yorkshire side's difficult return to life in the second tier despite a reasonably bright September period in overturning their early-season fortunes - and they face a tough task against Gary Rowett's Millwall side tonight with the two sides currently tied on points in the Championship table.
Slavisa Jokanovic's men are currently ahead of tonight's visitors by a single point, but the availability of Jed Wallace and his eight goal contributions already this season will be a stern warning to United that this won't be an easy task, despite arguably facing a tougher test at the weekend.
Blades boss Jokanovic has reinforced this warning and outlined some of Rowett's side's best qualities, saying to the Sheffield Star: "There will be moments against Millwall when we will be in trouble.
"That is the same for all of the games, it doesn’t matter who you are, in the Championship.
"They are strong. They run well behind and they are good at set-pieces, so we must be ready for that."
The Verdict:
With the pressure firmly on Rowett after a 2-0 home loss to Luton Town at the weekend, Millwall will be expected to produce a huge reaction to that and raise their game at Bramall Lane, which could set the Blades up for a very uncomfortable evening at home.
Jed Wallace will continue to be a threat despite his missed penalty at the weekend, although another Wallace in Murray could potentially have a huge effect on this game.
The latter was forced to withdraw against the Hatters on Saturday afternoon and is a doubt for this match, with his and Scott Malone's availability uncertain at this stage.
With this, it will be interesting to see who starts on the left-hand side, because they will have a big task in keeping the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White and Jayden Bogle quiet, an unenviable task for any Championship wing-back. You could easily see this battle as where the game could be won or lost.
But on paper, Sheffield United should have enough to overcome their opponents and it wouldn't be a surprise to see the likes of David McGoldrick and Lys Mousset start for the hosts after making such a major impact at the weekend.