Blades Defender Previews Ipswich Town vs Sheffield United As Both Teams Search For Cutting Edge | OneFootball

Sheffield United head to Portman Road on Friday evening still searching for their first points of the season.

It has been a tough opening to life under Ruben Selles, with the Blades failing to put together a convincing performance so far. Their most recent outing, a 1-0 defeat at Middlesbrough, underlined those struggles as they failed to register a single shot on target, which has been a worrying theme of the early campaign.

Deadline Day Recruit Previews Challenge of Ipswich Town

LUTON, ENGLAND – APRIL 21: Mark McGuinness of Luton Town looks on during the Sky Bet Championship match between Luton Town FC and Bristol City FC at Kenilworth Road on April 21, 2025 in Luton, England. (Photo by Paul Harding/Getty Images)

Deadline day signing Mark McGuinness could be handed his debut in Suffolk. The 24-year-old defender, who arrived from Luton Town, has been settling quickly during the international break and is eager to make an impact.

“It has been exciting and intense; training has been hard,” McGuinness told SUTV. “Obviously, the boys not on international duty have been in training. I came up on the Monday (deadline day) and trained on the Tuesday and Wednesday, they were good sessions. This week we have also worked hard, and everyone seems fit and healthy. It has been easy for me to come in and settle, the boys have been great. My move was pretty late, but things happen and as soon as I got the nod, I was excited and headed up.”

McGuinness, who brings plenty of Championship experience, feels the timing of the move was right for both him and the club.

“It aligned with where I’m at in my career and where Sheffield United is on their path, it aligned nicely, and it is something I’m really looking forward to,” he explained. “It has been a mad couple of weeks, with everyone not being together, but the manager wants me to come in and help the boys with my experience and leadership qualities. The quality is there, it is a top-drawer squad, we need one little turn and we’re hoping for that on Friday evening.”

Ipswich Town vs Sheffield United: The Battle of the Press

While the game on Friday evening features two teams in desperate need for points, both sides have a glaring issue that they must improve on over the next couple of weeks, or else they risk remaining at the foot of the Championship table.

Kieran McKenna’s side have created a non-penalty expected goals of 5.62 thus far (sixth-best in the Championship), on the flip side, they have registered a goals vs xG number of -3.62, this is the second-lowest in the league, with only Sheffield United having a worse stat (-3.82).

One important phase of the game for both teams will be the work they do off the ball in terms of pressing from the front. McKenna and Ruben Selles both want their players to win the ball back up high, and so far they have done just that; Ipswich and United represent joint-second and joint-third in high turnovers forced, with both teams joint-third when it comes to registering shots from high turnovers (seven).

In what’s expected to be a tight game, the match could simply be decided on who can impose their high press the best.

Stats taken from Opta.