Sheffield United will welcome Cardiff City to Bramall Lane on Saturday for a game of major importance at both ends of the Championship table.
With six league games left to play, one more than the chasing pack, the hosts sit inside the automatic promotion spots with a five-point lead over third-placed Luton Town, while their visitors find themselves just a single point above the bottom three, albeit with a game in hand of their own.
Match preview
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Having sat second in the Championship for almost the entirety of the campaign thus far, Sheffield United went into the Easter weekend double-header with a six-point lead over Middlesbrough and Luton Town and a game in hand over both, thanks to 22 wins and 73 points from their 38 league outings.
That included consecutive away league triumphs over Sunderland and Norwich City, either side of a 3-2 victory over Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup quarter final to punch their ticket to Wembley later in April, and the Blades strengthened their position in the top two and made it four wins on the bounce in all competitions as Iliman Ndiaye netted the only goal at home to basement side Wigan Athletic on Friday.
Paul Heckingbottom's men then faced the particularly difficult task of a trip to Burnley, who had sealed their confirmed their promotion to the Premier League on Friday, and after a tight start to the contest, the Blades' job was made even tougher when goalkeeper Wes Foderingham was sent off in the 17th minute for a foul just wide of his penalty area.
They stood strong with 10 men until the hour mark, but the league leaders eventually broke the deadlock through Johan Berg Gudmundsson, and he would net his second of the game 10 minutes later to ensure the South Yorkshire side returned home empty-handed.
While third-placed Luton Town did put an important victory on the board on Monday, the Blades do still come out of the Easter weekend with a five-point lead over the chasing Hatters and six games left to play compared to Luton's five, and they will hope to make a return to winning ways on Saturday and further build on that healthy advantage.
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Their visitors arrive in the midst of a battle at the other end of England's second tier, as Cardiff City find themselves just above the bottom three heading into the final matches of the season.
On the back of defeats to Preston North End and rivals Swansea City, either side of a 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion, the Bluebirds went into the long weekend with 39 points on the board from 38 league outings, and like their upcoming opponents, they scored a crucial victory on Friday, beating fellow strugglers Blackpool 3-1 away from home courtesy of first-half goals from Connor Wickham, Sory Kaba and Joe Ralls.
That saw Sabri Lamouchi's side briefly climb to 19th place before a meeting with Sunderland in South Wales on Monday, but they were unable to make it back-to-back triumphs as Dennis Cirkin sealed all three points for the visitors with the only goal of the game on the hour mark.
Such a result meant the Welsh outfit quickly dropped back down to 21st spot, while their attacking record remains the worst in the division, with no other side having scored as few as the 33 goals they have managed thus far.
Now with just a single point between themselves and Reading in the drop zone and a crucial game in hand still to play, Cardiff City will aim to bounce back and take a major scalp on Saturday to avoid being dragged into the bottom three.
Team News
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After Sheffield United goalkeeper Wes Foderingham was given his marching orders against Burnley, he will serve the first game of a suspension on Saturday, with Adam Davies set to deputise between the sticks from the outset, while left-backs Enda Stevens, Max Lowe and Rhys Norrington-Davies all remain unavailable for selection, meaning George Baldock should continue to fill in in an unfamiliar position on the left-hand side.
Jayden Bogle will again start on the opposite flank, with the back three of Anel Ahmedhodzic, John Egan and Jack Robinson bound to remain unchanged, while Heckingbottom is more likely to make an alteration in midfield with James McAtee expected to come back in alongside Tommy Doyle and Sander Berge in place of Oliver Norwood.
At the top end of the pitch, Oli McBurnie and Iliman Ndiaye should again lead the line, having each netted 13 goals in all competitions so far this season while Ndiaye also boasts seven Championship assists.
Cardiff City will likely remain without Callum O'Dowda and former Sheffield United man Callum Robinson through injuries, although Kion Etete has returned to full fitness and will fight to come back into the front line from the outset.
In Lamouchi's preferred 4-4-2 setup, the line should again be led by Sory Kaba, who has netted five goals in 11 Championship appearances since arriving on loan from FC Midtjylland in January.
Joe Ralls is also pushing to return to the starting XI after Romaine Sawyers and Ryan Wintle were preferred in midfield on Monday, while Lamouchi should deploy an unchanged back four featuring Perry Ng, Cedric Kipre, Mark McGuinness and Mahlon Romeo.
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Davies; Ahmedhodzic, Egan, Robinson; Bogle, Berge, Doyle, McAtee, Baldock; McBurnie, Ndiaye
Cardiff City possible starting lineup:
Allsop; Ng, McGuinness, Kipre, Romeo; Philogene, Ralls, Wintle, Ojo; Kaba, Wickham
We say: Sheffield United 2-0 Cardiff City
With the chance to take another major step towards clinching automatic promotion against a Cardiff side struggling for form, we see the Blades being too strong on home turf and back them to come away with all three points.
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Top tip
Sam Varley
