Sheffield United v Ipswich Town: promotion chase meets survival fight | OneFootball

Sheffield United host Ipswich Town in the Championship at Bramall Lane on Saturday, with the hosts looking to pull away from danger and the visitors pushing towards the automatic promotion places.

Sheffield United sit 17th and Ipswich Town are 3rd. The reverse fixture ended 5-0 to the Tractor Boys in September.

The Blades' recent run shows a home win over Leicester before back to back league defeats at Charlton and Southampton. The Tractor Boys arrive in form after four straight victories in all competitions, including three successive league wins.

Selection wise, the Blades are without suspended duo Japhet Tanganga and Djibril Soumaré, while Jairo Riedewald, Jamie Shackleton and Tyler Bindon are listed as injured. For the Tractor Boys, Conor Townsend, Chuba Akpom, Jaden Philogene and Marcelino Núñez are sidelined.

On the numbers, the Tractor Boys have scored 47 and conceded 24, with 56% possession and 81.82% passing accuracy plus 10 clean sheets this season. Jack Clarke has 10 league goals and could carry the attacking threat again. The Blades have 36 goals for and 40 against, and have delivered 348 open play crosses at 18.39% accuracy. They may look to test the visitors from wide areas.

A victory could move the Tractor Boys into the top two and strengthen their promotion push. Three points for the Blades would ease relegation worries and may lift them towards mid table in a congested pack.