Sheffield United vs Coventry City – Preview | OneFootball

League leaders Coventry City face play-off hopefuls Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Wednesday evening.

The Blades enter this contest after defeating Steel City rivals Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday afternoon which ultimately relegated the Owls. Whilst it’s always great to get the win over your bitter rivals, United’s main focus is on their race for the play-offs, in which they are six points behind sixth place Wrexham.

Coventry head to South Yorkshire in form having won their previous two games with the most recent one coming against West Bromwich Albion in a 2-0 away win last weekend. The Sky Blues are currently three points ahead of second place Middlesbrough.

Team News

The Blades continue to be without Tom Davies and Sam McCallum, while defensive midfielder could come back into the matchday squad following the red card of Kalvin Phillips who now serves a three-match suspension.

Frank Lampard’s side aren’t dealing with any major injury news for their trip to Bramall Lane, though they are still managing versatile forward Brandon Thomas-Asante’s minutes after returning to action recently.

Sheffield United’s Impact Player For This Game

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 22: Gustavo Hamer of Sheffield United clashes with Gabriel Otegbayo of Sheffield Wednesday during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday at Bramall Lane on February 22, 2026 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Cameron Smith/Getty Images)

Coventry City’s former star player Gustavo Hamer has not featured as much as he would’ve liked for the Blades this season. Yet, he has still managed to rack up two goals and nine assists in 18 Championship starts, which is a prime example of his contribution to the team. Six of those assists have all come in the last games, pointing to an upturn in form right when the business end of the season has creeped up on us.

Hamer is averaging over two shots and over two chances created per game, performing excellently in both stat lines compared to his positional peers in the Championship. United will hope he continues his fine run of form against his former side on Wednesday night.

While Coventry are top of the league they have been giving their opponents opportunities in recent weeks, so they aren’t exactly water tight at the back. One area where the Blades can capitalise is in set-piece situations.

Ten of Coventry’s 36 goals conceded have come via set-pieces, and with Hamer’s ability to whip in pacey crosses from wide free-kicks and corners, and his ability to shoot from any range and angle, perhaps the Dutchman can produce something from these moments on Wednesday evening. And if you remember back to last season’s fixture at Bramall Lane, Hamer delivered a simply outrageous free-kick goal from about 30-yards out in front of the away end on a cold Friday night in a 3-1 victory.

Coventry City’s Impact Player For This Game

Haji Wright has been one of the standout strikers in the second division over the past few years, and the American has already exceeded his tally of 12 goals last term, now currently sitting on 13, and you’d bank on him getting to 20 by the end of the season.

The American possesses length, pace and power, which is a hard combination to stop. But he has the predatory instincts and composure in front of goal to score any type of goal, with both feet and in the air.

Wright has scored 41 goals in the last three Championship campaigns, and this is despite missing half of last term with an injury. The 27-year-old is averaging over 3.50 shots per game so he will no doubt test Michael Cooper’s shot-stopping ability at Bramall Lane.

Meanwhile, Japhet Tanganga and Tyler Bindon will have their work cut out. Wright could look to isolate Bindon, who is the slower of the two centre-backs, so Tanganga will have to be on his toes to help cover any threat in behind them. Plus, the Coventry man has a 41% total duel success rate, which is a good rate for a Championship striker.

My Prediction

This has the making of being one of the best Championship matches of the season because of what rides on this kick-off. The Blades are trying to punch their way into the play-offs late on in this campaign, while the Sky Blues, who looked unstoppable for most of the season early on, are now trying to see out the job.

Sheffield United have won five of their last six home games, and four of those have seen the Blades score three goals. Interestingly, the previous two home games against Coventry City have ended in 3-1 victories for United. I think this score will be registered once again on Wednesday.

Stats taken from Fotmob and Opta.