Sheffield United

Image source, Opta

Sheffield United will hope to officially confirm their status as a Championship club for another season when they visit Watford on Saturday (kick-off 15:00 BST).

The Blades are 10 points clear of the relegation zone with four games to play and need a win to guarantee survival - although a draw or even defeat would be enough should Oxford lose at Derby.

Chris Wilder's side ended a run of six games without a win (D3 L3) by beating Hull 2-1 last time out.

As for the Hornets, their hopes of a play-off place are all but over as they sit 11 points behind sixth-placed Hull with only four games remaining - and have failed to win any of their past four (D2 L2).

• Watford have lost their previous four league games against Sheffield United, having been unbeaten in the previous six against the Blades (W4 D2).

• Sheffield United won this exact fixture 2-1 last season, having failed to score in each of their previous four league visits to Watford (D1 L3).

• Since winning four in a row between December 2025 and January 2026, Watford have only won three of their past 17 games in the Championship (D7 L7).

• Sheffield United have only kept two clean sheets in their past 20 Championship matches – indeed, no team in the division has kept fewer than the Blades since Boxing Day 2025.

• Imran Louza has been directly involved in 16 goals in the Championship this season (seven goals, nine assists), just one fewer than the most by a Watford player across their previous 10 league campaigns (17 by Ismaila Sarr in 2022-23 and 2020-21).

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea's Jimmy-Jay Morgan, 20, is being tracked by Swansea, Sheffield United and Preston North End among a host of Championship sides after impressing on loan at Peterborough.

The attacker has spent the season at the League One club, scoring 14 goals in 36 appearances.

He has a year left on his Chelsea deal and a decision on his future is looming in the summer.

Morgan joined Chelsea's academy at the age of eight before moving to Southampton and then returning to Stamford Bridge in 2023.

The Poole-born England youth international has represented his country from Under-16 level through to Under-20.

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder spoke to BBC Radio Sheffield after their 2-1 win over Hull City.

"I'm delighted for the supporters that we got a win because it's an expectant club and crowd and we've not delivered on what we should have done," he said.

"Not winning in six games is not good enough for me or the football club.

"It was a game of basketball, it could have been 4-4 at half time.

"We gave them their goal, they didn't need to work hard for it. Their opportunities, we've given them.

"I felt it was the right time to get Danny on. I challenged the subs before the game to make a difference and change the game because I don't think they have enough this season. Thankfully we did."

Image source, Getty Images

The EFL has announced the fixtures for the 2026-27 season will be published at midday on Thursday, 25 June.

The first-round draws for the Carabao Cup and the Vertu Trophy will be made on the same day.

The new season will kick off on the weekend of August 7-9 with the first round of the Carabao Cup, and the opening fixtures in the Championship, League One and League Two will follow a week later on 14-16 August.

The first round of the Vertu Trophy will be played in the week commencing 21 September.

Hull City will aim to cement their place in the paly-off spots as they visit Sheffield United on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Tigers are currently two points ahead of Southampton in sixth and only four in front of seventh-placed Wrexham after two successive draws.

The Blades have failed to win any of their games in March and are still searching for a victory in April.

• Sheffield United have lost their last two league games against Hull, as many as in their previous 24 against the Tigers (W15 D7).

• Hull are looking to complete the league double over Sheffield United for just the second time, previously doing so in 1952-53.

• Since Boxing Day, only Sheffield Wednesday (1) have kept fewer Championship clean sheets than Sheffield United (2 in 19 games); they are the only side without a home clean sheet in that time.

• Hull have drawn their last two league games, having only drawn two out of 27 beforehand (W15 D10). They last drew three in a row back in November 2024.

• Sheffield United's Gustavo Hamer has assisted the most goals in the Championship this season (11) – the last Blades player with more in a league campaign was John Fleck in League One in 2016-17 (16). Indeed, 10 of Hamer's 11 assists have been at Bramall Lane, six more than any other player has at one venue this season (Ryan Giles at the MKM Stadium for Hull, 6).

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield his team improved hugely in the second half of their 1-0 defeat away to Bristol City.

"We went with a different shape for this game. There's a few reasons why I wanted to have a little peek at that," he said.

"But shapes don't win games of football. Attitude and approaches do.

"In the first half as soon as they scored the goal, there were players doubting themselves, and they can't at this club. They have to have the character and the personality.

"In the second half was where I wanted to be, and I think that was recognised by the supporters.

"It was front-foot, it was positive, it was risk, it was quick and aggressive and it resulted in so many shots and crosses, but we have to win and that's what we're here to do".

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder says his side's 3-3 draw with Swansea City encapsulated their season.

From going 3-1 up after 64 minutes, the Blades contrived to let their visitors escape Bramall Lane with a point.

As a result, since returning to the club in September, Wilder has now seen his team give up 29 points from winning positions.

He believes that if they had achieved just half of that number, it would have taken their tally of 51 points and 17th place to one that would be in the top six.

"If we'd had 15 of those points, 50% of those points, we'd be sat in the play-offs," he told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"When we walked in, everyone would have been quite happy about that, but to lose almost 30 is just ridiculous."

Having finished third last season and collected 92 points on the field, Wilder knows that something has gone missing this campaign.

"Those decision-making moments that we have to deal with better, we should enjoy and be better in those moments, but we don't seem to enjoy it," he said.

"I will go on because it's relevant because it's the closest season we had - last year, personality, character, personality, character - dealing with those moments, dealing with those situations."