Sheffield United play host to Derby County on Saturday afternoon having put together a four-match unbeaten streak in the Championship.
While the Blades have moved into 14th position, Derby now sit bottom of the table after the EFL enforced a 12-point deduction for the club moving into administration.
Match preview
© Reuters
At a time when some clubs will say that the international break came at the wrong moment, Slavisa Jokanovic knows that the two-week interval was pivotal in changing Sheffield United's fortunes for the better.
Seven points and 11 goals have come from fixtures against Peterborough United, Preston North End and Hull City, kick-starting the Blades' campaign after an abysmal start.
The introductions of Iliman Ndiaye and Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Morgan Gibbs-White have made all the difference, the midfield duo chipping in with four goals and three assists between them.
Jokanovic will be less than satisfied with the defensive effort of his team with five strikes being conceded during the same triple-header.
Nevertheless, Sheffield United are back among the mix in mid-table, the best scenario that they could have hoped for after failing to win any of their first five fixtures.
© Reuters
Staying on the subject of best-case scenarios and simply surviving as a football club will be what Derby supporters are craving at the present time.
The inevitable move into administration has left the Rams nine points adrift of safety and with the prospect of further sanctions to follow in the future.
Last weekend's 2-1 win over Stoke City was a show of defiance from Wayne Rooney's squad, but the reality is that this squad are playing on borrowed time ahead of the necessary sales and departures in January.
Max Bird finally netted his first Derby goal during that fixture, and Rooney will hope for more of the same as Derby look to move off minus points at Bramall Lane.
Saturday's game is a repeat of last month's EFL Cup second round tie, which the home side won by a 2-1 scoreline.
- L
- L
- D
- W
- D
- W
- W
- D
- W
- D
- W
- D
- W
- D
- D
- L
- D
- W
- D
- L
- D
- L
- D
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Ben Davies is expected to start for Sheffield United after his late withdrawal against Hull proved to be a precautionary measure.
While Ndiaye is pushing for a recall to the starting lineup, Jokanovic may be content with using the same 11 players which started at the KCOM Stadium.
Despite Oliver McBurnie's goal against Southampton in the EFL Cup, Billy Sharp will lead the Blades attack.
With a week of preparation, Rooney is likely to stick with the Derby XI which performed so impressively against Stoke in difficult circumstances.
Kamil Jozwiak may be considered for a starting role on one of the flanks, potentially taking the place of Louie Sibley.
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Olsen; Baldock, Egan, Davies, Norrington-Davies; Hourihane, Fleck; Brewster, Gibbs-White, Osborn; Sharp
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Roos; Byrne, Jagielka, Davies, Buchanan; Bird, Shinnie; Sibley, Morrison, Lawrence; Baldock
We say: Sheffield United 3-0 Derby County
With both clubs moving in opposite directions over the past couple of weeks, this could prove to be a one-sided contest. While Derby will continue to fight for the cause, we see the Blades cruising to victory at Bramall Lane.
Top tip
Darren Plant
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Sheffield United win with a probability of 44.97%. A draw had a probability of 28.2% and a win for Derby County had a probability of 26.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sheffield United win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.9%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.04%) and 2-1 (8.46%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (13%), while for a Derby County win it was 0-1 (10%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 13.9% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Sheffield United in this match.
