- Sheffield United are unbeaten on home soil this season
- Sunderland have not recorded a victory in over a month
- Recommended bet: Sheffield United & BTTS No

Championship highflyers Sheffield United and Sunderland will meet at Bramall Lane on Friday night as both sides aim to steal a march in the promotion race.

Sheffield United will head into the game having taken 16 points from the last 18 available, a run that has seen them leapfrog Sunderland in the standings, with the Black Cats having drawn five matches on the spin.

Team news

Blades defender Anel Ahmedhodzic will serve the second match of his three-game ban following his sending off at Coventry last weekend, while it has been confirmed midfielder Ollie Arblaster will miss the rest of the season with a serious knee injury.

Forwards Kieffer Moore (calf) and Rhian Brewster (muscle) are also set to remain on the treatment table.

Sunderland have no fresh injury concerns although Jenson Seelt, Niall Huggins (both knee), Ahmed Abdullahi, Salis Abdul Samed (both leg) and Ian Poveda (muscle) all remain on the sidelines.

The stats

No team has picked up more points on home soil in the Championship this season than Sheffield United, who have accumulated 22 from a possible 24 at Bramall Lane.

Since drawing 2-2 with QPR in August, Chris Wilder's side have won seven home matches in a row and have kept clean-sheets in all of those games.

Sunderland are on an 11-game unbeaten run but they have drawn five matches on the spin, with three of those ending 0-0, including their midweek stalemate with West Brom at the Stadium of Light.

Regis Le Bris has only seen his side lose twice in the league this season, but both of those defeats came on the road at Plymouth and Watford.

Sheffield United have won four of the last five meetings between these two sides and did the double over Sunderland when they last locked horns during the 2022-23 season.

Prediction

It is of huge credit to Sheffield United that after their dismal relegation from the Premier League last season, they have been able to turn things round so spectacularly and quickly.

The Blades are flying, particularly on home soil where they have won seven matches on the bounce and they have not conceded a goal at Bramall Lane, let alone dropped a point, since mid-August.

The visit of fellow promotion contenders Sunderland will put Sheffield United's imperious home record to the test, but the Black Cats have been faltering of late, drawing five successive games.

Scoring goals has been one of the reasons behind that drop off, as three of their recent draws have finished 0-0, including away at struggling QPR and Preston.

Le Bris will hope his side can rediscover their scoring and winning touch soon, but Sunderland may have to wait another week for that to happen, with Sheffield United looking good value to claim another home victory and clean-sheet.

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