Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Championship clash between Sheffield United and Queens Park Rangers, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Both aiming to end three-match losing runs in the Championship, Sheffield United and Queens Park Rangers will square off at Bramall Lane on Saturday.
The hosts dropped to 23rd spot in midweek and find themselves four points adrift of safety, while their visitors now sit 16th but just a point outside of the top half.
Match preview
Sheffield United head into their final game before the November international break on Saturday aiming to bounce back to winning ways and narrow their gap to Championship safety.
After only missing out on promotion to the Premier League in the playoff final last time around, the Blades have endured a dismal start to the 2025-26 campaign, earning just nine points from their 14 games thus far, with their 11 defeats in that time being the most in the division.
They looked to have found their groove on the return from the October break, recording back-to-back victories over Watford and Blackburn Rovers, but that improvement was quickly halted as they led Preston North End 2-0 and went on to suffer a 3-2 away defeat.
Another pair of losses have since followed for Chris Wilder‘s men, who hosted Derby County last weekend and succumbed to a 3-1 beating before visiting leaders Coventry City on Tuesday and losing by the same scoreline, despite leading through Sam McCallum at the interval.
Now finding themselves 23rd and four points adrift of safety, with no side having conceded more than the 26 goals they have allowed and just one team netting fewer than their tally of 11 goals, Sheffield United will be desperate to finally kickstart an improvement and climb up the table on Saturday.
Their visitors also head to South Yorkshire aiming to end a run of defeats before the international break.
Queens Park Rangers’ first season under the management of Julien Stephan has been a mixed one so far, as they sit on 18 points from 14 games having managed five victories alongside six defeats.
Four of those losses have come in the last five outings for the Rs, only interrupted by a 1-0 away win over Swansea City, and they have since fallen short in their last three games, firstly leaving Derby County empty-handed as Carlton Morris netted the only goal.
Ipswich Town then visited Loftus Road last weekend and dished out a 4-1 beating, before Stephan’s men hosted Southampton on Tuesday and lost 2-1, having failed to find a leveller after Rumarn Burrell halved the deficit 17 minutes from time following second-half goals from Jay Robinson and Leo Scienza for the visitors.
Having now dropped to 16th spot in England’s second tier, but leading the bottom three by nine points and only trailing ninth place by three, they can quickly improve their standing again with a return to winning ways on the road on Saturday.
Sheffield United Championship form:
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Queens Park Rangers Championship form:
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Team News
Sheffield United will again be unable to call on defender Ben Godfrey and midfielders Gustavo Hamer, Tahith Chong and Oliver Arblaster on Saturday.
Goalkeeper Michael Cooper is a fresh concern, after being forced off at half time against Coventry City, likely meaning Adam Davies will deputise behind the back three of Japhet Tanganga, Mark McGuinness and Ben Mee.
Callum O’Hare has been their star man going forward this season, netting four league goals alongside two assists thus far, while Tyrese Campbell, Tom Cannon, Andre Brooks and Danny Ings will likely compete for the other attacking spots.
Queens Park Rangers remain without goalkeeper Joe Walsh for Saturday’s trip due to an injury, meaning Paul Nardi will continue in the net.
Rumarn Burrell will continue to lead the line, having moved onto five league goals for the season by scoring in each of their last two matches, while Richard Kone, who has netted four since his own summer arrival, will also hope to return from the outset.
Left-back Rhys Norrington-Davies is ineligible to play against his parent club at Bramall Lane, meaning Esquerdinha may join Jimmy Dunne, Amadou Mbengue and Liam Morrison in a back four.
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Davies; Tanganga, McGuinness, Mee; Ogbene, Peck, Soumare, McCallum; O’Hare; Campbell, Cannon
Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Nardi; Dunne, Mbengue, Morrison, Esquerdinha; Varane, Madsen; Smyth, Burrell, Chair; Kone
We say: Sheffield United 2-1 Queens Park Rangers
Sheffield United’s form at both ends of the pitch has certainly been cause for concern for Wilder this season, but they do have the quality to reverse their fortunes and we still back them to get back to winning ways at home to an out-of-sorts QPR side.
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