Chris Wilder may regret March comments regarding Sheffield Wednesday - Sheffield United could be left red-faced on Sunday | OneFootball

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder's previous comments about Sheffield Wednesday could come back to haunt him on Sunday.

Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United are preparing to face each other in the first Steel City derby of the season at Hillsborough on Sunday.

It has been a nightmare season so far for Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United, with both sides languishing in the Championship relegation zone, but the circumstances behind their current predicaments are very different.

After a summer of financial turmoil under former owner Dejphon Chansiri that resulted in a number of high-profile departures, the Owls were already facing an uphill battle to avoid relegation, but after being deducted 12 points last month after going into administration, they are almost certain to be playing League One football next season.

While Wednesday's issues have been through no fault of their own, United's problems have been largely self-inflicted, and with manager Chris Wilder still struggling to make an impact after his return to Bramall Lane in September, they currently sit three points from safety, and that gap could be bigger by the time of kick-off depending on Saturday's results.

Wednesday and United are both going through a difficult period, but that will not take away any of the typical rivalry or intensity of the derby, and Wilder may have more reason than most to be nervous about the outcome of this weekend's game.

Chris Wilder took aim at Sheffield Wednesday after previous Sheffield United derby success

Sheffield United's last visit to Hillsborough came back in March when they picked up a 1-0 victory thanks to Rhian Brewster's second half strike, and that ensured they completed the double over Sheffield Wednesday for the first time since the 2005-06 season.

The win was made even sweeter for Blades fans as it effectively ended the Owls' faint play-off hopes, as well as boosting their own automatic promotion chances, and after the game, Wilder could not resist pointing out just how far his club had moved ahead of their Steel City rivals.

"Now we're a bit more of a rival, a bit more of a threat, then we go above them, then we go even further above them and tonight, we're 31 points above them," Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"It's amazing today that nobody talked about us going top, and we'd have gone even further ahead with two points added on, with a team that's been put together in seven months.

"I wanted us to dominate the city at academy level and we're doing that.

"I wanted us to have the best ground and we're definitely doing that."

"That moment when the manager (Carlos Carvalhal) signed all these unbelievable players that got to a play-off semi-final and a play-off final, we were miles away from them, absolutely miles away," Wilder continued.

"We're not miles away from them now."

At the time, Wednesday's off-field issues under Chansiri were starting to come to the surface, while United had just been bought by US-based consortium COH Sports for £111 million, so it was difficult to argue with his claim that the two clubs were heading in different directions.

However, despite the Owls experiencing a summer of crisis and recently going into administration, the gap between the clubs has narrowed significantly this season, and Wilder's comments could leave him red-faced on Sunday afternoon.

Sheffield Wednesday will be keen to deal Chris Wilder blow after Sheffield United gloating

Sheffield United's victory at Hillsborough in March only came just over eight months ago, but it is difficult to believe quite how much has changed at Bramall Lane since then.

In those eight months, the Blades missed out on automatic promotion, suffered defeat to Sunderland in the play-off final, sacked Wilder, appointed and dismissed Ruben Selles, signed 16 new players and brought Wilder back for a third spell.

Despite working with a similar squad to the one he almost led to promotion last season, Wilder has found it tough to get United's season back on track after their horror start under Selles, with the 58-year-old winning just three of his 10 games in charge so far, drawing one and losing six.

Of course, Wilder cannot be held responsible for United's current position, with the blame for that belonging firmly with the club's board, but it could be argued that he has not done enough to solve their problems just yet, and as fears of a potential relegation battle increase, it is difficult not to feel that Sunday's game is a must-win for his side.

The Blades will go into the Steel City derby as favourites, but if Sheffield Wednesday had not been given a points deduction, they would be sat just two points behind Wilder's men, which suggests the game could be closer than many expect, despite the gulf in quality between the two squads on paper.

The Owls have earned plenty of credit for their spirited performances this season under manager Henrik Pedersen, and while their form at Hillsborough has left a lot to be desired, their away results against the likes of Wrexham, Portsmouth and West Bromwich Albion prove that they can be a tough opponent on their day and should not be underestimated.

With relegation all but guaranteed, Wednesday can go out and play with freedom this weekend as they look to give their supporters a rare moment of positivity in what has been a bleak season, but the same certainly cannot be said for United, who would surely view anything other than a victory as a humiliating outcome.

With local bragging rights at stake, both sets of players should need no extra motivation for the game, but the Owls dressing room will likely be determined to get revenge on Wilder after his March comments, and the Blades boss will be hoping that those words do not come back to haunt him.