Our prediction for this Championship match:
Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United, the two teams who are level on points in the Championship standings, take on each other at the City Ground on Matchday 16. The Reds head into the match following a 1-1 draw with QPR where they saved one point thanks to Jack Coleback’s late goal. Forest now aim to return to winning ways, and they are likely to adopt an attack-minded approach in the midweek clash. Both Ely and Osei-Tutu are injured for the hosts, while Mbe Soh will be assessed ahead of the kick-off.
The Blades, on the other hand, have been having their ups and downs of late. Following a 3-2 win at Barnsley, Sheffield United suffered a 1-0 loss to Blackpool at the weekend, meaning that they are eager to get back on course. Considering that the Blades scored seven goals in total in the previous four away games, both teams to score betting option should be considered. All Berge, O’Connell, Freeman, and Burke are out of contention with injuries for the away team.
Highlighted Player (Jack Colback):
After spending nine years at Sunderland youth academy, Jack Colback signed a loan deal with Ipswich Town on 6 August, 2009. The left-footed midfielder, who is capable of playing at left back as well, made 37 appearances for the Championship side, scoring four goals in the English second tier.
Against all odds, Colback decided to sign for Sunderland’s bitterest rivals Newcastle United on 9 June, 2014 and it has to be noted he became the first player to move directly from Sunderland to Newcastle since 1998 when Lionel Perez did the same. In 2015 Sunderland fans created a sick banner depicting Colback hanging with a noose around his neck and that caused uproar on social media.
Colback and his teammates from Newcastle dropped to the Championship at the end of the 2015/2016 season, but he decided not to leave the club. Colback scored 5 goals in 64 appearances for Newcastle United in the Premier League. He is well known for his passing skills, he rarely gives the ball away and journalist often compare him with Italy ace Andrea Pirlo.
Highlighted Team (Sheffield United):
Sheffield United are a professional football club that compete in the Championship. The Blades finished the 2016/2017 League One campaign in top position in the standings, with the team collecting exactly 100 points in the process. Sheffield United last competed in the Premier League in the 2006/2007 season and they were more than unfortunate not to secure the top flight survival.
The Blades finished the season in 18th place in the process and it has to be noted that they were level on points with Wigan Athletic, who managed to avoid the relegation to the English second tier. Sheffield United welcome their rivals at Bramal Lane, the stadium which was opened on April 30, 1855. The current capacity of the venue is 32.702.
The club have numerous rivalries, but the most notable one is the rivalry with their city neighbors Sheffield Wednesday. The two teams face each other in the Steel City derby and it has to be noted that United share rivalry with the likes of Barnsley, Rotherham United, Doncaster Rovers and Leeds United as well.