'Put it on them' - Sheffield Wednesday man's Sheffield United battle cry with '100 per cent' prediction
There’ll be plenty of fighting talk in the build-up to Sheffield United’s weekend Hillsborough trip.
Sheffield Wednesday top-scorer Josh Windass has full confidence his side can take it to Sheffield United this weekend and claim three points from their Steel City rivals.
United are three unbeaten going into Sunday’s derby but a midweek 1-1 draw at home to Bristol City has slowed momentum ever so slightly. Chris Wilder’s side looked set for a third straight win courtesy of Tyrese Campbell before Mark Sykes’ 90th-minute equaliser ensured spoils were shared at Bramall Lane.
That point still took the Blades above Leeds United to go top of the Championship, but a result for Daniel Farke’s side either tonight against Millwall or on Saturday at Queens Park Rangers would knock United from the summit. Burnley can also climb into the automatic promotion places with victory at Swansea City on Saturday.
Windass’ derby warning
Wednesday came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Norwich City on Tuesday evening and in recording consecutive wins for the first time since mid-December, kept their faint play-off hopes alive. The nature of Tuesday’s victory - they scored all three goals in 12 second-half minutes - has also seemingly buoyed Windass and his teammates going into Sunday, with confidence high.
“100 per cent [we can beat United], they're a good side, they’re in the top two for a reason,” the Wednesday attacker told BBC Sheffield following Tuesday’s win at Carrow Road. “They've got a good manager, a good group of players. It's obviously a big game, form goes out the window a little but both teams are in form at the minute.
“We’ll be looking to go put it on them and win the game, obviously sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't. We said before Plymouth how everyone was alluding to the derby, but we had two games to take care of which were more important at that point.
“If we hadn’t won those games then the derby, even if we win, would be a waste of time anyway with three points out of nine. So we go into Sunday hoping we can take nine from nine and it’ll be a great week going into the international break.”
United confidence
Confidence is clearly high at Hillsborough going into Sunday, with Owls boss Danny Röhl admitting midweek he aims to give fans a ‘special afternoon’ back home following two long away trips to Carrow Road and Plymouth Argyle’s Home Park. But despite what Wilder described as a ‘lethargic’ performance against Bristol City, United won’t be shying away from the occasion either.
Wilder’s Blades won the reverse fixture 1-0 at Bramall Lane back in November, with Tyrese Campbell the match-winner as United claimed Steel City bragging rights. Victory at Hillsborough would not only keep those rights but ensure they retain an automatic promotion place going into the March international break, a two-week period in which several players can enjoy a much-needed rest.
United will hope to have Vini Souza back for an occasion the combative midfielder will relish, so long as scans on a hamstring injury are positive, while Tom Cannon and top-scorer Campbell should recover from slight knocks. Late calls will be made on loan pair Alfie Gilchrist and Harry Clarke, who have been out with ankle and foot injuries respectively.