Although he cautioned the Blades about Sheffield Wednesday’s threat, former Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock thinks his old team is the favourite heading into Sunday’s Steel City rivalry.
For the first time in more than five years, fierce rivals Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday will square off this weekend. It should be an exciting matchup, as both teams enter the match in high spirits following victories during the week.
At Ashton Gate on Tuesday night, it appeared that United would lose to Bristol City after Anis Mehmeti’s penalty gave the Robins the lead in the 75th minute. However, Ryan One, a substitute, tied the score for the visitors in the 86th minute before Harrison Burrows won it in the eighth minute of stoppage time to seal a third consecutive victory for Chris Wilder’s side.
The Blades are now two points ahead of Leeds United in third position in the Championship standings. If they hadn’t been docked two points at the beginning of the season, they would have tied Sunderland for first place.
Wednesday easily defeated Norwich City 2-0 at Hillsborough on Tuesday night, bouncing back from their crushing 6-2 home loss to Watford on Saturday. Josh Windass and Dominic Iorfa’s goals in the first half gave the Owls all three points.
Due to the division’s intense competition this season, Danny Rohl’s team is only four points off of the play-off spots in 15th place, but they are also just three points above the relegation zone.
Neil Warnock sends Sheffield Wednesday warning to Sheffield United
Although Warnock acknowledged that United will be the clear favourite to win Sunday’s match, he cautioned that derbies are frequently unpredictable and that Wednesday can cause harm to the Blades.
The Star quotes Warnock as saying, “I think United will obviously be the favourites, but Wednesday can beat anybody on their day.”
“They have guys who can defeat anyone on their day, but they can also lose to anyone on their day. It certainly looks like it will be an amazing game. As I mentioned earlier, I believe United will win, but a derby can go any way. It makes no difference if you are at the top of these games or at the bottom of the league.
“The question is who wants it more. United has some talented players. They signed some good people, in my opinion. In my opinion, Cooper should be playing in the Premier League, and he might be next season. What are your thoughts on Barry Bannan? I believed he had completed ten years prior. He continues to improve and improve. Before a derby, however, I would tell my players, “This is life or death… there’s no coming back from this.” Who is beside you in the trenches? Softly-softly was not an option.
The 75-year-old, who retired from management to serve as a football advisor at Torquay United in the National League South, expressed his joy at the Steel City derby’s comeback.
He expressed his optimism that both teams will return to the Premier League soon.
“It’s wonderful to have these unique games back. Warnock remarked, “Nobody wants to see Wednesday down there.”
“It would be great if we could get them back in the Premier League and play a derby there during my lifetime. With over 30,000 people at Hillsborough and the same number at Bramall Lane, the atmosphere is fantastic.
“With all due respect, when you look at the top flight right now, what do you think of Bournemouth? Brentford. I sincerely hope they can return since the Sheffield clubs are so big. They could have returned sooner, but I’m not claiming they’ve been run properly throughout the years.
Sheffield United must be wary of Sheffield Wednesday threat
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