Sheffield United have an opportunity to hit the ground running after the international break

However, some fixtures, on paper at least, do look kinder than others.

And for Sheffield United, their first two games on the other side of the international break - clashes with Swansea City and Bristol City - do look like enterprising opportunities to put their recent wobble behind them and get some points on the board.

The Blades signed off for the international break with a 2-1 defeat to Wrexham at Bramall Lane last Saturday, all but ending their already faint play-off hopes. Chris Wilder’s men are now 17th in the table, 13 points behind sixth-placed Southampton.

Although a top six finish is not mathematically impossible just yet, United are in need of a miracle if they are to extend their season beyond the first weekend in May.

All but conceding his side’s play-off hopes are dead in the water, Wilder has challenged his players to end the season as strongly as they possibly can. United are just three points shy of 12th-placed QPR, meaning the prospect of breaking into the top half and staying there would be considered an achievement based on how they started the season under former boss Rubén Sellés.

Furthermore, United did not benefit from the bounce many anticipated when Wilder returned to Bramall Lane in September after answering the hierarchy’s SOS call. The Blades lost six of Wilder’s first nine games back in charge, meaning they became the first team in Championship history to lose as many as 11 of their opening 14 matches.

With relegation a very realistic threat at that juncture, a top half finish would be respectable if United were to achieve it. And their Easter clashes with Swansea, who visit Bramall Lane on Good Friday, and Bristol City, who will welcome the Blades to Ashton Gate on Easter Monday, appear as though they could be good opportunities to get some points on the board in threes.

Despite being three places and two points better off than United in the Championship table, Swansea are very much a team that prefer to play at home. They have won 50 per cent of their fixtures at the Swansea.com Stadium this season, meaning they have the eighth-best home record in the Championship this season.

However, on the road, only West Bromwich Albion (15) and Sheffield Wednesday (seven) have won fewer points than the Swans (17). Their away record is so contrasting to their home record that they have lost eight of their 11 away games since they appointed Vítor Matos as their head coach on November 24.

Winning just three games on their travels under him, United will fancy their chances of scooping maximum points next Friday afternoon to leapfrog them in the table before attempting to capitalise on Bristol City’s home struggles just 72 hours later.

The Robins, who thrashed United 4-1 at Bramall Lane on the opening day of the season, suffered a third successive home defeat last time out, losing 1-0 to West Brom. The contest saw some supporters turn on owner Steve Lansdown, criticising him for showing a lack of ambition this season after finishing in the top six less than a year ago.

The defeat to the Baggies marked the Robins’ fourth defeat in their last five Championship matches and a fifth defeat in eight home games in the league in 2026. They are winless in five on their own patch, losing four.

With Wilder insistent of finishing the campaign as strongly as possible, his side needs to try and take advantage of Swansea’s and Bristol City’s weaknesses to get the run-in off to a solid start.

On the flip side, Swansea and the Robins might be saying the same about United’s recent form in their own quests to finish their campaigns as strongly as possible.