Yet to win or lose in the Championship this season, Sheffield United welcome newly promoted Bolton Wanderers to Bramall Lane on Tuesday night.

The Blades have drawn all three of their league matches so far, with the latest coming in a 2-2 thriller against Cardiff City in the Welsh capital, while Bolton Wanderers suffered their first defeat since promotion when they were beaten 1-0 at home by fellow newcomers Lincoln City.

Match preview

Sheffield United extended their unbeaten but winless start to the Championship campaign with a third successive draw, sharing four goals with Cardiff City in an entertaining contest in South Wales.

Chris Wilder‘s side fell behind after just two minutes when Jack Moylan opened the scoring, but the Blades quickly turned the game around, with Tom Cannon converting a penalty before Callum O’Hare produced a tidy finish to put the visitors ahead before the eight-minute mark.

However, Sheffield United were unable to protect their advantage, with Cian Ashford finding the net before half time to ensure that Cardiff, who have also drawn all three of their league games, claimed a share of the spoils.

Three draws from three league matches, combined with two League Cup victories away to Mansfield Town and Blackburn Rovers, represents a solid unbeaten start, although Wilder will be keen for the stalemates to turn into victories sooner rather than later given the potential threat of a 12-point deduction.

The Blades are facing the prospect of a significant points deduction, similar to the one that relegated their rivals Sheffield Wednesday last season, after the company used to purchase the club was placed into liquidation by the High Court a couple of weeks ago.

© Imago / Sportimage

As for Tuesday’s visitors Bolton Wanderers, they have experienced all three possible results across their opening three games back in the Championship, with their unbeaten start ending in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Lincoln City.

The Trotters secured promotion through the playoffs after seven seasons away from the second tier, a period that included a brief spell in League Two, with their return sealed by a 4-1 victory over Stockport County at Wembley.

Steven Schumacher has been tasked with guiding Bolton through their first campaign back in the Championship and enjoyed a winning start when his side defeated Preston North End 2-1 on the opening day.

That victory was followed by a respectable point at Loftus Road before Lincoln inflicted their first defeat of the season, a narrow loss against an Imps  side who finished 28 points above Bolton in League One last term.

Bolton were widely tipped by many to finish at the bottom of the 24-team division, but Schumacher’s side head into their fourth league match sitting 11th, with a well-organised defence that has conceded just two goals helping them defy those early expectations.

With the two clubs having been in different divisions since 2019, Tuesday’s meeting will be their first since before the COVID-19 pandemic, with Sheffield United having spent time in the Premier League while Bolton dropped as far as the fourth tier.

Sheffield United Championship form:

Sheffield United form (all competitions):

Bolton Wanderers Championship form:

Bolton Wanderers form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago / Pro Sports Images

With Sheffield United still searching for their first league victory, Wilder may be tempted to make changes as he looks to find a way to turn their run of draws into wins.

One potential alteration could come in attack, with Ben Brereton Diaz a candidate to return to the starting lineup after rejoining the club on loan last week.

Wilder will, however, be without Tahith Chong and Ryan One, with both players sidelined by muscle problems.

Bolton, meanwhile, have gone nearly 245 minutes of Championship football without scoring and could also consider changes in attack as they look to end that run.

Their options have been limited by a difficult transfer window, though, potentially leaving Schumacher to stick with Sam Dalby, who scored Bolton’s first goal back in the Championship on the opening day.

The Trotters have also missed the attacking threat of Ruben Rodrigues, with the Portuguese midfielder remaining sidelined by the knee injury he suffered following their League Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.

Sheffield United possible starting lineup:

Cooper; Baptiste, Tanganga, McGuinness, McCallum; Donovan, Rothwell, Peck, O’Hare; Brereton Diaz, Cannon

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Bonham; Brunt, Forino, Famewo, Conway; Sheehan, Erhahon; Iling-Junior, McAtee, Gale; Dalby

 

 

We say: Sheffield United 1-0 Bolton Wanderers

Although Bolton travel to South Yorkshire sitting above Sheffield United in the Championship table, we expect the Blades to finally end their run of draws with a narrow victory.

Bolton have defended well since returning to the second tier, so we expect the Trotters to keep the scoreline tight and restrict Sheffield United to a slender win.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.