Sheffield United will continue their pre-season preparations with a trip to the Pirelli Stadium to face Burton Albion on Friday with kickoff at 9:30 pm.
Burton Albion are set to compete in League One for the fourth successive season, following their 16th-place finish in the 2021-22 campaign.
In a bid to improve on last season’s efforts, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has bolstered his squad with five new signings including midfielder Calum Butcher, who has returned to the club after six years away from the Pirelli Stadium.
The Brewers have lost four of their five pre-season matches so far, including each of the last three against Nottingham Forest, Birmingham City and Brackley Town.
Heading into the new season, Sheffield United head coach Paul Heckingbottom will be looking to build on last season’s fifth-place finish in the Championship, with the Blades regarded as one of the favourites to secure promotion to the top flight.
The South Yorkshire outfit have kept the core group of their squad together so far this summer and have made a handful of additions. Anel Ahmedhodzic, Tommy Doyle and Ciaran Clark have all signed for the club, while they beat Casa Pia 2-1 in Portugal before easily disposing of Lincoln City 6-0 in two 60-minute matches at Bramall Lane.
Burton Albion vs Sheffield United Head to Head
Both sides have eight games against each other with each side taking three wins and two wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Brackley Town 2-1 Burton
- Burton 1-2 Birmingham
- Burton 0-1 Nottingham Forest
- Stratford 1-2 Burton
Away
- Mansfield 3-0 Sheffield United
- Scunthorpe 3-2 Sheffield United
- Lincoln City 0-6 Sheffield United
- Casa Pia 1-2 Sheffield United
Burton Albion Team News
Centre-back Sam Hughes, who was unable to play in any games in 2021 due to an ACL injury, did not feature against Brackley but could return to the side on Friday. Manager Hasselbaink used 18 players in their most recent friendly and is expected to rotate his squad again throughout the game against Sheffield United.
Sheffield United Team News
Goalkeeper Adam Davies is doubtful for the start of the season after sustaining a knee injury against Lincoln earlier this month. Boss Paul Heckingbottom has confirmed that James Wilson will miss the rest of pre-season with a thigh injury.
Prediction and Odds
Bearing in mind the quality of the visitors’ squad, we expect the Championship team to beat the League One outfit at their Pirelli Stadium.
- Sheffield United Win
- Goals Under 3.5
- Half Time: 0-0
