“It’s A Big Challenge” – Sheffield United Boss Assesses Leicester City And Offers Key Injury Update | OneFootball

Sheffield United travel to the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon to face Leicester City, eager to continue their recent form.

The Foxes endured a miserable evening on Tuesday away at Southampton. Already trailing 2-0, their task became even tougher when they were reduced to ten men. Southampton added a third before half-time, leaving Leicester 3-0 down at the break. To their credit, the visitors stemmed the flow in the second half, but the damage had long been done.

Leicester could again be without several key players on Saturday, with Aaron Ramsey, Caleb Okoli, Jakub Stolarczyk and Victor Kristiansen all doubtful. Marti Cifuentes must also decide whether to reinstate former Sheffield United loanee Luke Thomas, who is available again after serving a one-match suspension, but will be without Bade Aluko following his red card in midweek.

Since returning from the latest international break, Sheffield United have delivered back-to-back dominant 3-0 victories. The Blades stunned rivals Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough last weekend before comfortably dispatching ten-man Portsmouth at Bramall Lane on Wednesday night.

One major positive was the return of Gustavo Hamer, who came off the bench and showcased his quality with a spectacular 30-yard strike to seal the win. Wilder may now be tempted to restore the Dutch midfielder to the starting XI for the trip to Leicester.

Tahith Chong and Oliver Arblaster remain close to returning but have yet to feature on the bench despite Wilder’s optimism. The manager confirmed that the club continues to explore solutions for Tom Davies’ long-running calf injury, with the midfielder set to meet specialists in Germany. Meanwhile, Chiedozie Ogbene is expected to miss the next two or three matches, though a return around Christmas remains the target.

Chris Wilder Reveals Sheffield United Injury Latest

HULL, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 04: Chiedozie Ogbene of Sheffield United runs with the ball under pressure from Liam Millar of Hull City during the Sky Bet Championship match between Hull City and Sheffield United at MKM Stadium on October 04, 2025 in Hull, England. (Photo by Tony King/Getty Images)

Speaking before the match in his pre-match press conference, Wilder gave an update on his squad’s health:

“Tahith can play anywhere along the top line, and we knew a lot about him from Manchester United before playing in different attacking positions in the Premier League for Luton Town. We’ve been really impressed with him and a player I would have been interested in signing in the summer, so now we’re looking forward to working with him.

“Tom is away at the moment and will see someone in Germany too with the club doctor, because it is important we get to the bottom of it for him and us as well. We’re going to have to dig deeper to give him the best opportunity because we haven’t rushed him back and everyone was satisfied that he was ready.

“[Ogbene] is another one working away, he won’t be available for the next two or three games, but hopefully around the Christmas period, he will return.”

Wilder on Leicester’s Struggles And Blades’ Busy Fixture List

Wilder had high praise for Saturday’s opponents. “I suppose when you look at Man City last season and Liverpool this season, it shows how difficult it is to win a game of football and what can happen when you’re on a downward trajectory in terms of results over a short period of time,” he said. “This is what can happen, regardless of if you’ve spent a load of money, you can get into a situation where winning games is tough.”

“It’s a big challenge for us, they can produce performances if they want to and they fancy it. They turned over Stoke a few weeks ago, drew at home to Coventry. The results have been okay but I suppose from a supporter’s point of view and above, I should imagine, like a couple of clubs, us included, they would’ve been expecting to be higher up in the division.”

Meanwhile, Wilder also voiced his irritation with the demanding schedule:

“We’re a little bit frustrated with the fixture list because I think that’s twice that has happened to us; three games in six days: Saturday-Tuesday-Friday at Preston, and this one as well. I’m not so sure anyone else has had that sort of schedule. It’s something we’ve got to overcome, and a little bit of a juggling act.”

A third straight win for Sheffield United would not only make them move further away from danger, but also send a clear message to the rest of the league that the Blades’ season is far from over. That being said, a win at Leicester has been historically difficult for United having won just once in their last eight visits.