Stoke City vs Sheffield United – Preview | OneFootball

Sheffield United are on the road again this weekend as they travel to Stoke City in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.

Stoke head into this clash on a four-game unbeaten streak, which includes three wins. The home side sit just one point above the Blades in the table.

United, meanwhile, suffered back-to-back 1-0 defeats. Wolverhampton Wanderers beat them with a late goal last Sunday, and Fleetwood Town knocked them out of the EFL Cup in midweek, leaving a bitter taste in the supporters mouths before we head into the international break.

Team News

The Potters could be with experienced defender Aaron Cresswell and Eric Bocat for this one. Former Owls midfielder Svante Ingelsson may also not be risked.

Meanwhile, former Blades midfielder Djibril Soumare could make a start against his old club after impressing in his first few matches for Mark Robins’ side.

United will see Ryan Oné, Tahith Chong and Femi Seriki back after the international break, which will be a huge boost for Chris Wilder as this trio carries the bulk of his squad’s pace and trickery.

Sam McCallum could slot straight back into left-back after being given a rest in the cup, with his replacement, Rhys Norrington-Davies, scoring the own goal that saw United lose to Fleetwood.

Kalvin Phillips could also be in line for a start after he was rested completely in midweek ahead of the trip to Stoke.

Stoke City’s Impact Player For This Game

The impact player for Stoke City in this game could be versatile midfielder Ethan Galbraith. The 25-year-old Northern Irishman has three goals to his name in just seven appearances from midfield, and he is a big reason for Stoke’s current good form.

He is accurate, calm and smart in possession, knowing when to slow down the tempo or quicken it up. But he also has good creative instincts as well, averaging 1.6 key passes per game so far this season. And while he may not be the quickest player in a race, he makes up for this by covering a ton of ground, averaging 11.2km per game. For context, only Sydie Peck from the Blades has a higher number (11.4km).

His awareness defensively is solid, he breaks up play with interceptions and using his agility to latch onto second and third balls to recycle possession and then restart an attack.

The Blades have struggled in the midfield area all season, and Saturday might look no different with the likes of Galbraith and Soumare running the show and dominating in duels.

Sheffield United’s Impact Player For This Game

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 13: Andre of Wolverhampton Wanderers is tackled by Oliver Arblaster of Sheffield United during the Sky Bet Championship 2026/27 match between Sheffield United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Bramall Lane on September 13, 2026 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

At this point in the season, United really only have one man that looks capable of doing anything remotely positive in the final third, and that man is Romelle Donovan.

Donovan was the only player in the cup defeat against Fleetwood that could come out of that with any credit.

He uses his quick burst of speed and change of direction to bypass defenders, and he does have good vision to thread intricate passes through to teammates. The 19-year-old puts in some teasing crosses into the box, but unfortunately the Blades don’t have a striker that looks hungry to win a header.

The Brentford prospect is the only bright spark the Blades have at the moment, and if Sheffield United are to score at the weekend, the source of the creativity will likely come from him.

My Prediction

The Blades are limping towards the international break having lost 1-0 in back-to-back matches. They are having to grind out results, simply because the performances have been subpar all season. On the flip side, Stoke are in a good run of form and are at home.

Sheffield United have won each of their last five games against Stoke City, but I think that winning run will come to a halt here. These two sides will share the spoils with a score draw on Saturday afternoon.