Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Championship clash between Sheffield United and Watford, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Javi Gracia will take charge of his first game back in the Watford dugout on Saturday, when they return from the international break for a trip to Sheffield United.
The hosts sit at the foot of the table after a dismal start to the season, while Gracia returns to the visitors after six years away with the side occupying 11th spot after nine Championship outings.
Match preview
Sheffield United return to Bramall Lane on Saturday aiming to kickstart their Championship season after a particularly concerning start and climb off the foot of the table.
After falling short of promotion to the Premier League in the playoff final last time around and replacing Chris Wilder with Ruben Selles, the South Yorkshire outfit lost their first five league outings, triggering the end of Selles’s tenure and a swift return for Wilder.
He has been unable to inspire a notable improvement at Bramall Lane thus far, though, with the Blades picking up just three points from four outings of Wilder’s third spell at the helm, courtesy of a 1-0 win away at Oxford United in late September.
They then hosted Southampton and fell to a 2-1 defeat, despite taking a first-half lead through Tyrese Campbell, before most recently visiting Hull City before the break and leaving empty-handed with David Akintola’s first-half goal making the only difference while Harrison Burrows failed to level with a penalty two minutes from time.
Now rooted to the foot of the table having produced one victory and eight defeats from nine league outings, in a season in which they would have anticipated another promotion bid, Sheffield United will be desperate to kickstart an upturn in form and climb up the table on their return to action on Saturday.
Their visitors, meanwhile, make the trip to South Yorkshire also under a returning boss, with Javi Gracia back in the dugout after his 2019 departure.
The Spaniard, who led the Hornets to an FA Cup final and memorable 11th-placed Premier League finish in 2018-19, replaces Paulo Pezzolano, who took charge over the summer and saw his side pick up 12 points from their first nine league outings.
His departure came in spite of an upturn in form before the break, as the Vicarage Road outfit bounced back from consecutive losses with two victories and a draw, firstly returning to winning ways at home to Hull City and sharing the points in a 2-2 draw away at Portsmouth.
The Hornets then hosted Oxford United in early October and added a third notch to their wins column, bouncing back from an early own goal to triumph in a 2-1 victory as Jeremy Ngakia hit a quickfire brace late in the first half.
Now returning to action following an international break working with Gracia, Watford will aim to pick up where they left off and make it back-to-back Championship victories and four games unbeaten at the weekend.
Sheffield United Championship form:
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Watford Championship form:
Team News
Sheffield United will remain without Tahith Chong and Ben Godfrey on Saturday, while Oliver Arblaster is yet to make a full return from his long-term injury.
Tom Davies did return to contention before the break, though, and he could come into the midfield from the outset alongside Sydie Peck, who appeared for England Under-21s in the October international break.
Ben Mee, Mark McGuinness and Japhet Tanganga should again line up in a back three made up of summer arrivals, while Callum O’Hare and Gustavo Hamer will hope to continue in support of front man Tyrese Campbell despite competition from Tom Cannon, Danny Ings and Louie Barry.
Watford are still unable to call on Pierre Dwomoh and key midfielder Giorgi Chakvetadze, both of whom have missed the start of the season through injury.
Vivaldo Semedo was also forced off with a fresh injury against Oxford United before the break, although Gracia still has Luca Kjerrumgaard, Kwadwo Baah, Rocco Vata and Nestory Irankunda to choose from in attack while Imran Louza offers further quality in support.
Veteran Moussa Sissoko may come back into the midfield from the outset, with Edo Kayembe also competing to feature.
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Cooper; Tanganga, McGuinness, Mee; Ogbene, Peck, Davies, Burrows; O’Hare, Campbell, Hamer
Watford possible starting lineup:
Selvik; Alleyne, Keben, Abankwah; Ngakia, Mendy, Sissoko, Wiley; Louza; Irankunda, Baah
We say: Sheffield United 1-1 Watford
Chris Wilder will hope that the international break provides the reset his Sheffield United team needs to kickstart a stronger run of results.
They face a tough test, though, with the visitors in form before the break and likely boosted by Gracia’s return, and we see a share of the spoils as likely as a result.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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