Sheffield United will welcome Middlesbrough to Bramall Lane on Wednesday for an important contest at the top end of the Championship table.
The hosts currently occupy second spot with a three-point lead over the chasing pack, while their visitors trail the playoff places by a single point.
Match preview
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Sheffield United return to action at Bramall Lane on Wednesday in search of a third straight Championship victory to further strengthen their position in the automatic promotion spots.
In their bid to win an immediate promotion back to the Premier League under the management of Chris Wilder, they have overcome a two-point deduction to sit second with 64 points on the board from 31 outings, having won 20 of those games and only suffered five defeats.
That is largely down to an eye-catching home record, with the Blades having won 11 and only lost two of their opening 15 matches at Bramall Lane, and both of those defeats have come since Christmas, most recently falling to a disappointing 3-0 beating at the hands of Hull City in late January.
Wilder's men made a quick return to winning ways in the following trip to Derby County, as Ben Brereton Diaz netted the only goal early in the second half, before they most recently hosted Portsmouth on Saturday and made it back-to-back victories and five wins in their last six Championship outings, as Gustavo Hamer put them ahead and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi restored their lead in a 2-1 triumph with a 73rd-minute goal.
Now finding themselves three points ahead of third-placed Burnley, five clear of fifth-placed Sunderland and two behind league leaders Leeds United with 15 games of the automatic promotion race remaining, Sheffield United will aim to further improve their claim with a 21st Championship win of the campaign and a 12th at Bramall Lane.
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Their visitors, meanwhile, head to South Yorkshire on Wednesday aiming to make a return to the top six in their own bid to win promotion back to the Premier League this term in their eighth straight second-tier campaign.
Having missed out on a playoff spot in their first full season under the management of Michael Carrick last time around, Middlesbrough enjoyed an encouraging first half to the term, moving into sixth spot on 40 points from 25 outings with a New Year's Day victory.
The Teesside outfit have failed to strengthen their claim since, though, adding just four more points to that tally in their last five attempts, with the only win in that time coming at home to West Bromwich Albion between away defeats at the hands of Portsmouth and Preston North End.
Sunderland then visited the Riverside Stadium last Monday and took all three points with a 3-2 victory over Carrick's men, despite Boro leading through Delano Burgzorg and drawing level at two goals apiece through Hayden Hackney on the hour mark, as a Ryan Giles own goal made the difference three minutes from time.
While they have dropped to seventh spot in the midst of their dip in form, Middlesbrough do only trail sixth-placed Blackburn Rovers by one point and fifth-placed West Brom by three, and they will be keen to make a return to the playoff spots and bounce back from their consecutive defeats on their return to action following a black FA Cup weekend.
Team News
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Chris Wilder may opt to make several changes to his Sheffield United starting XI from the weekend's narrow victory, with midfielder Tom Davies set to remain in the treatment room alongside Oliver Arblaster, Kieffer Moore, Jamie Shackleton and Femi Seriki despite nearing a return to full fitness.
Former Arsenal defender Rob Holding earned a debut off the bench on Saturday, but Jack Robinson and Anel Ahmedhodzic may continue in the heart of a back four for the visit of Middlesbrough, while January arrival Hamza Choudhury should again join key man Vinicius Souza in the engine room, albeit with Sydie Peck hoping to make a return to the starting XI.
Despite the absence of Moore, there is plenty of competition for attacking spots in the Blades' 4-2-3-1 setup, with Callum O'Hare, Rhian Brewster and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi all competing to come in from the start after Ben Brereton Diaz, Tyrese Campbell and Gustavo Hamer supported Tom Cannon against Portsmouth.
Middlesbrough continue to contend with a long injury list on Wednesday, as goalkeeper Seny Dieng, defenders Anfernee Dijksteel and Darragh Lenihan, midfielders Jonny Howson and Riley McGree and winger Ben Doak could all remain sidelined.
Kelechi Iheanacho could earn a debut up front, having arrived on loan from Sevilla following the January departure of key front man Emmanuel Latte Lath, who netted 27 Championship goals for Boro since the beginning of last season.
If Doak remains out of action, Iheanacho could have support from Morgan Whittaker, Delano Burgzorg and Finn Azaz, who has notched up eight goals and nine assists in 29 league appearances this term, while Aidan Morris will continue to join Hayden Hackney in the engine room.
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Cooper; Clarke, Ahmedhodzic, Robinson, McCallum; Choudhury, Souza; Rak-Sakyi, O'Hare, Hamer; Cannon
Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:
Travers; Ayling, Van Den Berg, Edmundson, Giles; Morris, Hackney; Whittaker, Azaz, Burgzorg; Iheanacho
We say: Sheffield United 2-1 Middlesbrough
Chris Wilder called for a reaction from his Sheffield United side after an underwhelming home display at the weekend, and we back them to come out on top in a tough test on Wednesday with the visitors lacking momentum in their playoff pursuit.
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Sam Varley
