Hull City vs Sheffield United – Preview | OneFootball

Sheffield United head to East Yorkshire on Friday to take on Tim Walter’s Hull City coming out of the international break.

While the Blades wouldn’t have wanted the international break as they started the season off in decent form, with two wins and two draws, the Tigers were certainly more thankful for the two-week break given their slow start to the Championship. Under the guidance of their new tactician, Hull have managed three draws and more recently a 2-0 defeat to Yorkshire rivals Leeds United.

Transfer business

Having watched Tim Walter’s teams in Germany for a number of seasons I knew it’d be a slow start to the campaign for Hull, due to the intricacies of his system. A prominent feature of his tactics in Germany involved deploying a goalkeeper in a very aggressive position when his team is on the ball.

Often, Walter wants his goalkeeper to position himself as part of the back line when playing out. This is so he can essentially play 11-vs-10 when building up. Additionally, it allows one of his full-backs to create an overload in midfield.

With that being said, it was crucial for Hull City to bring in a goalkeeper like Carl Rushworth on loan who can distribute the ball as well as most in the Premier League let alone Championship. And I think this signing is the difference between his system working and not working. But all that being said, Walter’s system always gives teams a chance because mistakes are more frequent with how he wants to play.

Team news

Chris Wilder may be without Anel Ahmedhodzic for the trip to Hull on Friday evening, while Oli Arblaster’s availability is in question after withdrawing from the England Elite Squad due to a minor injury.

Kieffer Moore started and scored in a 2-1 win for Wales against Montenegro on Monday night in difficult conditions so he may be a little low on energy for Friday.

Femi Seriki could be named in the matchday squad for the first time since the Carabao Cup win against Wrexham. Seriki started that game excellently but suffered a groin injury which has kept him out of action since.

Chris Wilder has said that a few players are doubtful for the Hull City game, including Jack Robinson, who is getting closer to being available again.

For the hosts, recent free agent recruit Steven Alzate could be named on the bench, while Kasey Palmer could also suffer the same fate having just come off international duty with Jamaica.

LEEDS, ENGLAND – AUGUST 31: Liam Millar of Hull City shoots during the Sky Bet Championship match between Leeds United FC and Hull City AFC at Elland Road on August 31, 2024 in Leeds, England. (Photo by Cameron Smith/Getty Images)

Hull City’s star player for this game

Since penning his deal to join Hull City, Liam Millar has started three games and provided one assist, averaging one key pass per game from the inverted left-winger role.

Despite not winning against Leeds United, the Tigers posed a threat to Leeds, particularly through Millar, who attempted 12 total dribbles down the left against Jayden Bogle, completing five of them. This will undoubtedly be Gilchrist’s biggest test in one-vs-one situations if he gets isolated. This is why I think Andre Brooks should come back into the fold, after recovering from concussion, to come back and cover the flank.

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 01: Callum O’Hare of Sheffield United and Tom Dele-Bashiru of Watford compete for the ball during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield United FC and Watford FC at Bramall Lane on September 01, 2024 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

Sheffield United’s star player for this game

In Hull City’s first four games, they have allowed the opposition number ten to register at least two key passes per game, and when you look at the list of players they don’t exactly scream top Championship players. Bristol City’s Max Bird completed three key passes, Plymouth Argyle’s Mustapha Bundu registered four key passes, Millwall’s George Honeyman registered two key passes, and Leeds’ Ben Aaronson saw two key passes completed.

This to me clearly suggests they have a huge weakness defensively in midfield because they aren’t picking up the attacking midfielder in the pocket. So based on that alone I expect Callum O’Hare to have a huge impact on the game.

Even though the stats say he has just the one assist this season, coming against QPR, O’Hare was really the provider of the winning goal against Watford as he outwitted the defence at the byline as the ball eventually trundled over the line from a final touch from the goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann.

My view

As mentioned earlier, I expected Hull City’s start to the season to be very much a slow burner and that’s exactly how it’s played out so far. Hull have created the third-least number of big chances in the Championship, four. And they’ve registered the third-least number of shots on target per game, 3.3.

The two-week international break may have allowed them to work on things to improve, but that’s the same case for Sheffield United. And right now they are the better equipped team to win a game of football.

While the Blades have created six big chances across four games, which is the fifth-worst, they have averaged 4.3 shots on target per game which ranks them the fourth-best in that regard.

I expect United to be the aggressors in this game and the team that pressures the opposition goal the most.

My prediction

I do rate Tim Walter as a manager, however, I just can’t see him lasting long at Hull City if promotion is their aim this season. His system is very different to anything we’ve seen in the EFL, and I don’t think he has the overall squad to match what he wants to do. They are very light up front and you have to wonder where goals will come from in this squad, and that’s shown in the first four games having only scored twice.

I think Sheffield United will hand Hull City their second league loss on Friday night, and I believe Chris Wilder’s defence will record their third clean sheet of the season.