Sheffield United will be hoping to seal another Sheffield double when they host arch rivals Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday.
Just over four miles separate Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday in a geographical sense.
However, in football terms, they are a million miles apart. As the Blades still dream of reaching the play-offs and having another crack at promotion to the Premier League, Wednesday are preparing to say their goodbyes to the Championship via the other direction.
Both sides are gearing up for Sunday’s Steel City derby at Bramall Lane knowing a victory for United, regardless of what happens elsewhere in the Championship over the weekend, will officially send Wednesday to League One.
Wednesday, as is well known throughout the football world, have experienced a season from hell, entering administration, having 18 points deducted and winning just one game - a 2-0 triumph over Portsmouth at Fratton Park back in September.
Having last won a game in Sheffield ten months ago - a 2-1 triumph over Middlesbrough at Hillsborough on Easter Monday - you would be hard-pressed to find anyone, either of a red & white or of a blue & white persuasion, that is backing Wednesday to pull off a shock and prolong their relegation at Bramall Lane this weekend.
Wednesday are winless in their last 26 league games, have scored just one goal in 2026 and are without a goal in their last five away games.
Sheffield United have won each of the last three Steel City derbies without conceding.placeholder image
Sheffield United have won each of the last three Steel City derbies without conceding. | Sportimage
Having read those statistics, some United supporters are bound to become nervy, no doubt fearing it would be ‘typical Blades’ to come unstuck against their city rivals. However, if you were to strip everything back and remove the derby element from your mind, a home game against the side rooted to the foot of the table, who have won just one game since last April, will feel like as good a guarantee of three points as you could possibly wish for.
Of course, United supporters will arrive at Bramall Lane on Sunday morning dreaming of securing the local bragging rights and seeing their team officially condemn Wednesday to relegation. If the shoe was on the other foot, Wednesday supporters would dream of witnessing the same.
When Blades boss Chris Wilder hosts his pre-match press conference on Friday, he will undoubtedly warn his players and the fans about the dangers of getting carried away. He will no doubt remind everyone of the surprises derby encounters can produce, refusing to take anything for granted.
United should deliver the goods
However, the long and short of it all is that United are overwhelming favourites to win and will be expected to win without too much fuss. Failure to win will be frowned upon. Some may even frown upon it if the Blades don’t win handsomely amid the current conditions Wednesday find themselves in.
Whether United put some gloss on the scoreline, putting Wednesday to the sword with a degree of conviction, or, for example, secure a third 1-0 win in four against their city counterparts, a win will add another three points to their tally and seal the Owls’ fate.
United have not won four consecutive Steel City derbies since a run of four victories over Wednesday between 1950 and 1953, and they will never get a better opportunity to match that dominant run than the one they have this weekend.
Bragging rights and confirming Wednesday’s relegation will, of course, be at the forefront of every United supporter’s mindset when they wake up on Sunday morning, but adding another three points to the tally to assist with the club’s play-off charge is arguably the bigger prize on offer.
After beating Portsmouth last time out, United have a golden opportunity to record back-to-back wins and potentially narrow the gap on the play-off places once again before switching their focus to Coventry City’s visit to S2 next Wednesday evening.
United, amid their status as the city’s dominant force in the last few years, have gone into each of the last crop of derbies as the favourite, but the pressure and weight of expectation ahead of this one has arguably never been greater.
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