Sheffield United need to do something they have not done all season vs Birmingham City
Sheffield United will be hoping to secure a much-needed victory when they take on Birmingham City at St Andrew’s on Saturday afternoon.
Sheffield United will be targeting a return to winning ways when they face Birmingham City in the Championship at St Andrew’s this afternoon.
The Blades, who beat the Blues 3-0 at Bramall Lane in the reverse fixture back in December, suffered a second defeat in their last four matches on Wednesday evening, being beaten 2-1 by Norwich City at Carrow Road.
Despite taking a first half lead through Jaïro Riedewald, United were unable to take anything from the contest, conceding two second half goals to further derail their chances of sneaking into the play-off places.
With nine games remaining, United currently find themselves 11 points shy of the top six after Wrexham beat Swansea City 2-0 at the Racecourse Ground on last night.
Ahead of the Blades’ tussle with Chris Davies’ side, here are five pre-match talking points:
The state of play
Following Wrexham’s triumph over Swansea last night, it would take something extraordinary, one would think, for United to now finish inside the top six. Nothing is impossible, particularly in the Championship, but overturning an 11-point deficit with nine games remaining would require something special.
Had United held onto their lead against West Bromwich Albion last Saturday and against Norwich in midweek, they would have gone into today’s clash with Birmingham on 54 points, just six behind Wrexham. However, they amassed just one point from those two aforementioned fixtures.
Considering United were still inside the bottom three 16 games into the campaign, the fact the play-offs have been spoken about as a possibility in recent weeks is an achievement in itself. Unfortunately, the gap might be too big for them to overcome in the time that remains.
Bamford back in the mix
After missing the midweek defeat at Norwich due to a dead leg he had suffered in last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion at Bramall Lane, striker Patrick Bamford is back in contention for the trip to Birmingham.
He has trained with the rest of his teammates ahead of the trip south, meaning he is available for selection, marking a much-needed boost for the Blades and manager Chris Wilder, who has frequently waxed lyrical about him since securing his signature back in November.
Scoring eight goals in 19 Championship appearances since joining the Blades, they are going to need Bamford to remain fit and firing if they are to stand any chance of finishing inside the top six. However, he has scored just one goal in his last five appearances.
With that in mind, a clash with Birmingham could be exactly what Bamford needs to get back on track. That is because he has scored five goals in his eight previous appearances against the Blues, including his strike against them at Bramall Lane earlier this season.
Birmingham’s indifferent form
Just like United, Birmingham also face an uphill struggle if they are to finish in the top six. They are currently teth in the standings, eight points behind sixth-placed Wrexham.
After securing a fifth win in eight games against Norwich on February 21, the Blues, who stormed their way to the League One title last season, looked a good bet to force their way into the play-off places. However, a run of three successive defeats at the hands of Millwall (0-3), Middlesbrough (1-3) and Charlton Athletic (0-1) derailed their ambitions.
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However, they did manage to get back on track in midweek, scraping past QPR at St Andrew’s on Wednesday night, winning 1-0. Patrick Roberts’ early goal settled a fairly uninspiring contest.
That victory means they have won two of their last six Championship outings, highlighting an indifferent run of form. They have only won back-to-back league games once since the November international break.
United’s record against top half teams
Having failed to capitalise on opportunities to try and reel Wrexham in against West Brom and Norwich in the past week, United, if they are to stand any chance of catching the Welsh outfit, must start taking points off their direct rivals in threes, starting today.
United’s final nine games will see them take on seven sides that are currently occupy places in the top half of the table, starting with Birmingham. Of the 12 sides that currently sit above them, the Blades have beaten just three of them, beating Ipswich Town (3-1), Watford (1-0) and Birmingham (3-0).
In total, they have amassed just ten points from a possible 51 against top half teams this season. If they are to stand even the faintest of chances of gatecrashing the top six, the Blades, who have not beaten a top half team on the road this season, simply have to turn up the heat.
After facing Birmingham today, United’s next five matches will see them take on Wrexham (H), Swansea (H), Bristol City (A), Hull City (H) and Watford (A). Each of those five aforementioned teams are currently above the Blades in the standings.
Targeting a rare double
Although United were beaten 2-1 by Birmingham in the first round of the Carabao Cup back in August, they have enjoyed their recent league visits to St Andrew’s, winning each of their last two Championship visits.
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Winning 2-1 on the final day of the 2022/23 season, United also won 2-1 at St Andrew’s the previous season, meaning they will be hoping to secure a third straight away league win over the Blues this afternoon.
Additionally, United, having won the reverse fixture 3-0 at Bramall Lane earlier this season, will be targeting their first league double over Birmingham since the 1970/71 campaign.