Sheffield United vs Ipswich Town – Preview | OneFootball

Sheffield United will take on in-form Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon at Bramall Lane.

The Blades have lost momentum in recent days after back-to-back 1-0 defeats at Charlton Athletic and Southampton, though the effort cannot be at fault for either result. These set of defeats now have the Blades looking back over their shoulder at the relegation zone again rather than the top six spots.

In contrast, Ipswich Town have been in remarkable form unbeaten in their last six Championship matches, currently sat in third place and just two points off the automatic promotion places. Their most recent result was a 2-0 victory at home against Bristol City in what also marked their fourth clean sheet in five league games.

Team News

Chris Wilder’s side are massively stretched at this moment in time. Japhet Tanganga has two games remaining on his suspension, while his formidable centre-back partner Tyler Bindon may not make it for the weekend because of illness. To add, Jairo Riedewald is dealing with a minor hamstring injury, so that leaves just Oliver Arblaster, Sydie Peck, Tom Davies and Alex Matos for the midfield options as Djibril Soumare will be sidelined for the next two games because of his red card at Charlton.

The Tractor Boys are set to be without key players such as Jaden Philogene, Marcelino Nunez and Chuba Akpom for the trip up to South Yorkshire on Saturday afternoon.

Sheffield United’s Impact Player For This Game

Sheffield United are battered and bruised at the moment as they attempt to put their two-game losing streak to a stop. With the amount of injuries and suspensions the Blades are dealing with only makes the challenge of Ipswich Town even greater.

But one thing the Blades have up their sleeve is genuine match-winning quality, especially in somebody like Gustavo Hamer. Hamer’s presence in the starting eleven has been inconsistent this season due to injury issues, yet he’s still managed to compile a highlight-reel of exceptional moments.

Hamer averages over two shots per game, and the Championship is fully aware that he is capable of scoring from anywhere – as seen with his outrageous goal against Birmingham City and more recently Mansfield Town to name a few.

To add, the Dutchman is still the chief creator among the United ranks; he averages over two chances created per game and his 0.28 expected assists per game is one of the best in the Championship compared to positional peers.

Ipswich Town’s Impact Player For This Game

IPSWICH, ENGLAND – JANUARY 20: Jack Clarke of Ipswich Town celebrates the 1st goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Ipswich Town and Bristol City at Portman Road on January 20, 2026 in Ipswich, England. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

With both Jaden Philogene and Marcelino Nunez potentially out for this fixture, those two have contributed to 22 goals so far this season. This will mean players such as Jack Clarke must step up to the plate, and he certainly has the capabilities having contributed to eleven goals himself.

Clarke has been a standout performer on the left side whenever he’s been in the Championship, and this term’s no different. While Clarke isn’t particularly a trickster on the wing, he possesses good dribbling and has the ability to slow down a defender and then quickly shift up the gears and knock the ball past them to either get to the byline or cut inside on his stronger right foot and get a shot away.

With a dribbling success rate of over 53%, Clarke is one of the best dribblers in the Championship. However, this will firmly be put to the test against the Blades when he comes up against standout right-back Femi Seriki.

Additionally, Ipswich could cause Seriki problems if they are allowed to push left-back Leif Davies up the field on the overlap. Even if it’s a decoy run from Davies, this could afford Clarke more time and space to use his stronger right foot and pick a pass out around the edge of the box. Currently, Clarke is averaging over 2.3 created chances per game, so Ipswich will lean on his creativity in the absence of Philogene and Nunez.

My Prediction

When you compare the form guide, this one looks like a tough game for the Blades. Then, when you mix in the amount of players missing, it becomes even harder, even in spite of Ipswich Town’s doubtful trio for this clash.

Opta’s expected league table currently has Ipswich Town as the first-placed side in the Championship. And while the Blades are fifth on this table, the injuries and suspensions cannot be underestimated in terms of how much of a blow it is for the home side on Saturday afternoon.

Ipswich Town have more momentum currently and I think that will get them over the line in this one. The Tractor Boys will win this 2-1, unfortunately.

Stats taken from FBref and Opta.