MATCH THREAD: " SHEFF UTD v CARDIFF CITY " MATCH THREAD

SHEFFIELD UNITED v CARDIFF CITY
Friday 18th April, 5.30pm
Sky Bet Championship - Match 43
Bramall Lane 

Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football




Omer Riza:

"Perry Ng has been out this week, I’m not sure yet when he’ll come back because he hadn’t trained all week, but did some light stuff today. Andy Rinomhota has trained today.

"Other than the long-term injuries, everyone else is available."


“Fitness-wise, we’ve lost Isaak Davies in training yesterday with a slight hamstring problem, we don’t know yet when he will be back?”


“Joe Ralls and Rambo [Aaron Ramsey] are long-term injuries and still out.”

Alnwick is out for the season.


City have Sold over 800 Tickets / Allocation 2,000.

Massive Game

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Club Connections

Kieffer Moore now plays for Sheffield United.

He scored two goals against us in the league fixture at CCS.

Rival Players

Rhian Brewster spent a season with Swansea.

The Opposition's Manager

Chris Wilder returned to Sheffield United for his second spell in charge in December 2023.

He was previously in the job and took them to the Premier League. They are again in the hunt for automatic promotion this season.

He also had spells in charge of Oxford, Northampton, Middlesbrough and Watford.

Opposition Dangerous Players

Tyrese Campbell has ten league goals this season.

Gustavo Hamer is a top quality player at this level, he has eight goals and six assists in the league this season.

Head To Head 

We have lost four out of our last five against Sheffield United.

We won one game in that time, which was the 1-0 win in the FA Cup tie there in January.

Team News - Predicted Line-Ups

Sheffield United: Cooper, Clarke, Ahmedhodzic, Robinson, Burrows, Peck, Souza, Hamer, O'Hare, Rak-Sakyi, Cannon

Cardiff City: Horvath, Ng, Fish, Daland, O'Dowda, Chambers, Robertson, Alves, Ashford, Robinson, Salech

Last Game

On Saturday, we lost 1-0 at home to Stoke.

On the same day, Sheffield United lost 2-1 at Plymouth.

Match Odds

Sheffield United - 1/2
Cardiff City - 5/1
Draw - 3/1

Predictions

Post your predictions below 

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We need a win no if or buts. The pressure I believe will be too much for our squad.

Only good thing about playing the Blades now is they are also suddenly struggling so its a good time to play them.

A no-brainer, unless they get more 'nervy' than us.

“ FINAL FOUR FIXTURES “




18/04/2025 Sheffield United v Cardiff City - Friday, 18th April, 2025



21/04/2025 - 15:00 Cardiff City v Oxford United Crowd Away Support



26/04/2025 -15:00 - West Bromwich Albion (h)

03/05/2025 -15:00 -Norwich City (a)

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They haven't won in three Cardiff coming to town definite win for homesite our record against sides that have not won in a while is abysmal

Easy three points for them, pick us apart at will, score how, when and how many they fancy.

The players dont believe in the style and are full of fear.

Loss if its under Riza. Groundhog day.

Just can't see them not scoring they are in last chance saloon which normally helps opposition but i fear could be 3 or 4...... I know other lower teams beaten them its a shame we didn't play them Saturday when at their worst.

“Joe Ralls and Rambo [Aaron Ramsey] are long-term injuries and still out.”

Alnwick is out for the season.

City have Sold over 800 Tickets / Allocation 2,000.

Massive Game

City have Sold over 800 Tickets / Allocation 2,000.

Massive Game

NG has a foot brace on

Its 100% guaranteed defeat. The only thing to be achieved is to keep the defeat to just one goal. It can not be a Leeds style capitulation. Goal difference may still be what sends us down if by some miracle we beat Oxford and get something from our last two games.

Chris Wilder, Sheffield United's manager, confessed that his temper flared up following a clash with Plymouth Argyle players after his team's 2-1 defeat at Home Park.

The Blades' hopes for automatic promotion from the Championship were severely impacted as relegation-threatened Argyle fought back from 1-0 down to score two late goals.

The win brought Argyle kept alive their chances of staying up, but it significantly hampered United's chances of overtaking Leeds United and Burnley. Wilder's team are now five points behind the top two, and emotions were high post-match.

Wilder took offence to Argyle players celebrating their victory in front of the away supporters as they left the pitch and confronted Mustapha Bundu and Darko Gyabi, reports the Mirror. He had a few choice words before heading down the tunnel, where Sky Sports' cameras showed a confrontation between the two sets of players, with some pushing and shoving going on.

After suffering three consecutive defeats, Sheffield United seems poised for a play-off spot rather than direct promotion. Their next match sees them play against Cardiff on Good Friday, while Argyle face an away match against Middlesbrough, who are also eyeing a place in the play-offs.

All the other teams around us seem to be fighting for their lives whilst we just look lost and not bothered, 4-0 loss I'm expecting

Easy 3-0 home win for me.

Chris Wilder rejected the suggestion that Sheffield United’s players are suffering from “mental fatigue” after watching his side’s automatic promotion hopes take their latest blow with defeat at Plymouth Argyle on Saturday. That 2-1 reverse, their third in the space of a week, leaves the Blades third and five points adrift of joint leaders Burnley and Leeds.

With just four games of the regular Championship season to play, it would take another almighty twist for the Blades to overtake one of those two sides and avoid the lottery of the play-offs. United have scored once in three games against Oxford United, Millwall and Plymouth and couldn’t hold onto a 1-0 lead in the latter, conceding twice in the final 10 minutes against the side bottom of the table.

United return to action on Good Friday at home to Cardiff City looking to arrest their recent slump in form, but also knowing that it may be too little, too late. “We put ourselves in a great position after the Coventry game,” added Wilder. “And basically, we’ve let it slip. So, we have to own that and take responsibility for a really poor week in terms of results.”

Its 100% guaranteed defeat. The only thing to be achieved is to keep the defeat to just one goal. It can not be a Leeds style capitulation. Goal difference may still be what sends us down if by some miracle we beat Oxford and get something from our last two games.

I think that is exactly what will happen, once a goal goes in we will fold like a deck chair Sadly I have no confidence we will get any more points under Riza. I even think a few players will now shirk off in to the background knowing what is coming with their relegation release clauses.

Chris Wilder’s message to Sheffield United fans as automatic promotion hopes written off after horror run


Chris Wilder has targeted a “proper performance” against Cardiff City on Friday as Sheffield United look to arrest their alarming slump in form that has left their automatic promotion hopes hanging by a thread. A 2-1 reverse at Plymouth on Saturday was United’s third defeat in three, leaving them five points off Leeds United and Burnley with just four games left.

One of them is against the Clarets, on Easter Monday at Turf Moor, but United can’t afford to look past Omer Riza’s struggling Bluebirds as they look to regain some much-needed momentum in the promotion race. Even if the top-two is now beyond their grasp, United can’t afford to enter the play-offs on a downward trajectory - especially given their wretched history in the end-of-season lottery.

“I haven't got a crystal ball to see what happens in the last four games,” Wilder said. “What happens up the road, or over the Pennines. But it's certainly given them a massive boost, because of our inability to pick up any points over the last three games. We've gone from a really great position after the Coventry game, to one where we're now chasing.

Heavy money then on Sheffield to win. Winnings go towards season ticket

This will be the game that changes our club with relegation almost certain.

Can only see a heavy defeat here,
Sheff utd 4
Cardiff city 1

Unfortunately I just can't see us picking up any points here. 2 0 sheff utd

Moore will get a couple and we will get battered.

OPPOSITION FOCUS | SEASON SO FAR

The hosts head into Friday's game sat third in the Sky Bet Championship, but having lost three consecutive games to clubs lower in the league and even Plymouth bottom of the Championship.

Sheffield United have impressed home and away this campaign picking up 45 and 40 points respectively.

However, the Blades are without a win in three, having suffered defeats to Oxford United, Millwall and Plymouth Argyle in recent weeks.

Last time out, Wilder's side were defeated 2-1 against Plymouth Argyle at Home Park. The Blades took the lead through Jesuran Rak-Sakyi late in the first half, but two late Argyle goals courtesy of Ryan Hardie and Muhamed Tijani secured all three points to take home to Devon.

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Omer Riza:


"Perry Ng has been out this week, I’m not sure yet when he’ll come back because he hadn’t trained all week, but did some light stuff today. Andy Rinomhota has trained today.

"Other than the long-term injuries, everyone else is available."

Can only see a heavy defeat here,
Sheff utd 4
Cardiff city 1

This

Chris Wilder made five changes to his Sheffield United starting XI for last weekend's trip to Plymouth Argyle, and we could again see alterations after a third straight defeat, with Tom Davies, Oliver Arblaster and Rhys Norrington-Davies remaining sidelined by injuries.

Tom Cannon was given the nod to lead the line and is still yet to open his account for the club following a January arrival, and he faces competition up front from Kieffer Moore and Tyrese Campbell, who leads the squad with 10 Championship goals this season.

Behind a lone striker, Callum O'Hare, Gustavo Hamer and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi will hope to continue in support despite competition from Rhian Brewster, and Ben Brereton Diaz, while Vinicius Souza and Harry Clarke were fit to feature from the outset in midfield and defence respectively last time out after injury layoffs and will hope to earn second consecutive starts on Friday.

Cardiff City continue to deal with several injury issues heading into Friday's trip, with goalkeeper Jak Alnwick, midfielders Andy Rinomhota, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Ralls and winger Anwar El Ghazi confined to the treatment room.

Apparently they've got 5 players out and 3 doubtful

Chris Wilder is contemplating changes to his starting XI for the Good Friday clash with Cardiff City at Bramall Lane.

Experienced duo Rob Holding and Kieffer Moore on two 'knocking on the door', but the Blades boss also stated he isn't going to start taking a wrecking ball to the group that accumulated 85 points in 39 matches prior to three consecutive losses.

Looking ahead, Wilder remarked: "It's been a difficult one for Rob, he came in and we were winning games of football, he had one start against Bristol City, so it was difficult to get him up to speed, but that is part and parcel of my job. He is now knocking on the door.

"Kieffer is the same having come back from his hernia surgery. But what I will say is the contributions of the substitutes recently hasn't been where it should be, so everyone is involved in the selection process, and I have to make the right decisions.

"But then should we perhaps be leaving Tyrese (Campbell), our leading scorer out, as always loads of decisions to make and I want everyone ready to play their part."

On the Bluebirds, he added: "Without been disrespectful, we have a gameplan for Cardiff covering their strengths and weaknesses, but as you can imagine the message to the players and the work, we've put into them this week, is that at our best we should win the game."