Leeds United vs Sheffield United: Home side facing selection headache | OneFootball

It’s always a fixture that should be pencilled into the diaries when Leeds United clash with Sheffield United, and Friday night at Elland Road will be no different.

The Blades have an opportunity to leapfrog Sunderland and take first place in the Championship standings. A victory for the Whites would see them inch closer to the automatic promotion places.

United have done quite well in the second tier against Leeds under the guidance of Chris Wilder, having won their last two away meetings in the Championship, making it three wins out of their last four in this division.

Blades supporters will always remember that fixture from March 2019 when United legend Chris Basham slide tackled the ball into the bottom left corner after Billy Sharp got the better of Liam Cooper and played him in. That goal was a huge reason United got promoted that season; they were behind Leeds in the table heading into that fixture. Such was the hammerblow of a defeat in the Yorkshire derby, Leeds did not recover as the Blades ran away with second place in the 2018/19 campaign.

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 01: Oliver Arblaster of Sheffield United and Moussa Sissoko of Watford 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)

Injury news for Leeds United vs Sheffield United

As Leeds United fans are still absorbing the disappointing news on Max Wober, Ethan Ampadu, and Ilia Gruev, there’s cautious optimism surrounding the fitness of wingers Manor Solomon and Daniel James, per The Star. Both players were expected to rejoin full training ahead of the upcoming Sheffield United clash, providing a potential boost to the squad.

Meanwhile, Brenden Aaronson, who played for the USA in a match that finished at 5:30 AM UK time on Wednesday, Aaronson isn’t likely to return to the training ground until Thursday, further complicating Daniel Farke’s plans for the Yorkshire derby.

On the flip side, the Blades were handed an unexpected selection boost before the international break began. As Unitedites checked the lineups before the Luton Town kick-off they were pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of Oliver Arblaster in the starting eleven, his first appearance since suffering an ankle injury. This was a welcomed boost.

The Blades have another selection boost ahead of Friday evening because both Gustavo Hamer and Vinicius Souza managed to escape a yellow card in the win against Luton Town and therefore avoided suspension for this crucial encounter at Elland Road.

United are still being cautious with club captain Jack Robinson and Tom Davies, even more so with the latter, who has been enduring a mini pre-season camp in order to get back to fitness having missed several months of action. Robinson, meanwhile, does not need to be rushed back all thanks to the unbelievable form Harry Souttar and Anel Ahmedhodzic are continuing to produce in their partnership.

It’s all set up to be another typical tasty Yorkshire derby on Friday night at Elland Road as Leeds host Sheffield United, with both sides gunning for promotion.