Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Championship clash between Sheffield United and Charlton Athletic, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
In their first game following Chris Wilder‘s return to the dugout for a third tenure, Sheffield United will welcome Charlton Athletic to Bramall Lane on Saturday.
Wilder arrives back in South Yorkshire with the weekend’s hosts sat at the bottom of the Championship table without a point on the board, while their visitors sit 18th on their return to England’s second tier this term.
Match preview
Sheffield United head into the weekend back under the new management of Chris Wilder, who returned to the hot seat on Monday after his previous departure at the end of the 2024-25 term.
In that campaign, he oversaw a haul of 92 points in the Blades’ bid to make an immediate return to the Premier League, but they would fall at the final hurdle in a playoff final defeat to Sunderland, before the club hierarchy opted to turn to Ruben Selles over the summer.
The South Yorkshire outfit have since endured a dismal beginning to their second consecutive term in England’s second tier, losing each of their six games across all competitions including five in the league, with their only goal in those games coming in a 4-1 opening day beating at the hands of Bristol City.
After heading into the international break on the back of four league losses having conceded seven goals, the Blades returned in a trip to Ipswich Town last Friday and suffered their heaviest defeat yet, as a Jaden Philogene hat-trick and goals from George Hirst and Jack Clarke condemned them to a 5-0 thrashing.
That spelled the end of Selles’s brief tenure, and Wilder now returns to the dugout after just three months away for a third spell, having previously led his boyhood club from League One to the Premier League, with the hopes of kickstarting Sheffield United’s season with a first victory on Saturday.
Their visitors, meanwhile, head to Bramall Lane looking to end a four-game unbeaten run of their own in the Championship after last season’s promotion.
Charlton Athletic sealed their return to England’s second tier through the League One playoffs last time around, prevailing over Leyton Orient in the final, and they marked it with an opening-day triumph over Watford.
The Addicks have failed to add another notch to their wins column in four attempts since, though, going on to play out a draw with Bristol City before suffering back-to-back defeats to Leicester City and Queens Park Rangers ahead of the international break.
On their return to action, Nathan Jones‘s side hosted rivals Millwall at The Valley on Saturday, and after taking a first-half lead through Sonny Carey, they eventually had to settle for a point as Raees Bangura-Williams levelled for the visitors in the 88th minute.
Charlton Athletic will now bid to bounce back to winning ways at the weekend and build a lead over the bottom end of the table.
Sheffield United Championship form:
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Charlton Athletic Championship form:
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Team News
Sheffield United will remain without midfielders Oliver Arblaster, Tom Davies and Jamie Shackleton on Saturday due to injuries.
Chris Wilder may opt to freshen up the Blades’ starting XI after last week’s beating at the hands of Ipswich Town, with key man Gustavo Hamer and Tyrese Campbell, who topped their scoring charts last season, likely to return from the outset while Chiedozie Ogbene will hope to earn his debut after being ineligible to feature against his parent club last time out.
Ben Mee and Femi Seriki will compete for defensive spots, after Harrison Burrows was joined by summer signings Mark McGuinness, Japhet Tanganga and Ben Godfrey in a back four at Portman Road.
Charlton Athletic are unable to call on defender Kayne Ramsay, who was sent off in last week’s draw against Millwall, while forward Matt Godden remains confined to the treatment room.
In Ramsay’s absence, James Bree should come in on the right-hand side of a back four, while Amari’i Bell will again join Lloyd Jones in the centre of the defence.
Isaac Olaofe, Miles Leaburn and Harvey Knibbs will compete for attacking spots, after Rob Apter, Sonny Carey and Tyreece Campbell supported front man Charlie Kelman last time out.
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Cooper; Seriki, Tanganga, McGuinness, Burrows; Peck, Matos; Ogbene, O’Hare, Hamer; Campbell
Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Bree, Bell, Jones, Edwards; Coventry, Docherty; Apter, Carey, Olaofe; Leaburn
We say: Sheffield United 2-0 Charlton Athletic
We can only envisage Sheffield United bouncing back following the boost of Chris Wilder’s return and back them to make their quality count and get off the mark at Bramall Lane on Saturday.
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