Sheffield United will continue preparing for their return to the Premier League when they take on Rotherham United at the AESSEAL New York Stadium in South Yorkshire on Tuesday evening.
The hosts come into this match off the back of a 4-2 win over lower league opposition Mansfield Town last weekend, while the visitors were held to a 0-0 draw against Primeira Liga outfit Estoril at Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota a few days earlier.
Match preview
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Following their relegation from the Championship back in the 2020-21 season, Rotherham United earned promotion back at the first time of asking and did relatively well last season, all things considered, finishing 19th in the league and six points clear of the drop.
While they did manage to secure their survival in the second tier of English football by beating Middlesbrough in their penultimate match of the season, it is worth pointing out that that win was the only one they managed in the last seven matches of the campaign.
Matt Taylor will undoubtedly be aiming to try and pull closer to the top half of the table this season, but his side's preparation has not gone exactly as he would have liked just yet.
The Millers beat Mansfield Town comprehensively over the weekend, but that is the only game they have won in their three matches in the pre-season, following a 1-0 loss to Elche and a 2-0 loss to Middlesbrough a few days later.
However, Taylor will still be fairly confident going into this match as his side managed to take four points from their two league matches against this opposition last season and have not been beaten by Sheffield United at this venue since a friendly back in 2017.
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Sheffield United secured their return to the Premier League last season by finishing in second place in the Championship with 91 points, 10 behind the eventual league winners Burnley.
In his first full season in charge of the Blades, Paul Heckingbottom kept his side within touching distance of the Clarets for the majority of the season, but a few costly losses at the end of February ultimately took the title away from them.
Still, they produced a very good record for the season of 28 wins, seven draws and 11 losses, while they also managed to reach the semi-final of the FA Cup after beating Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in the fifth round and overcoming Blackburn Rovers 3-2 in the quarter-final.
The Blades' strength over the past few seasons has been their defence, which has looked solid in their two pre-season matches so far, shutting out Chesterfield in a 2-0 win and holding firm again against Estoril last week.
They have another three friendly matches to play after this one, and Heckingbottom will have his sights set on remaining unbeaten in that time before they take on Crystal Palace on the opening weekend.
Team News
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Georgie Kelly bagged a hat-trick against Mansfield Town last week and will likely lead the line again while Joshua Kayode will be hoping to return to the starting 11.
Summer signing Cafu played from the start in that match and could do likewise here, while Oliver Rathbone will be hoping for a starting 11 spot after coming off the bench to set up Kelly for his second goal of the afternoon.
Anis Slimane made his debut for the Blades against Estoril last time out and could do likewise here, while Yasser Larouci has been tipped to make his first appearance in this match since his arrival from Brondby a couple of weeks ago.
William Osula was handed a rare start up front last week but was kept relatively quiet by Estoril, which could mean that Oli McBurnie will return to the starting lineup with Oliver Norwood and Sander Berge in behind him.
Rotherham United possible starting lineup:
Johansson; Seisay, Bola, Morrison, Bramall, Blackett; Cafu, Wiles, Rathbone; Kayode, Kelly
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Foderingham; Baldock, Freckleton, Egan, Ahmedhodzic, Larouci; Berge, Norwood, Slimane, Brooks; McBurnie
We say: Rotherham United 0-1 Sheffield United
On paper, this should be a relatively straightforward win for the Premier League side. However, they will know that they cannot underestimate Rotherham, who were unbeaten against them last season. We expect this to be a very close match and feel that the first goal may well end up being the winner.
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Devesh Jaganath
