Sheffield United will welcome Queens Park Rangers to Bramall Lane this Tuesday night as two sides sitting right next to each other in the table look to battle to get back into the win column after tough past weekend.
Both clubs are still gunning for the play-offs in the English second tier, but following on from another defeat each, there is plenty of work to do with QPR sitting ninth, just as the Blades occupy eighth as they fail to win consecutive games on the bounce once again.
On JOC. 👊“Pointless putting any time on it, important we give him all the support and the time he needs. In the building, around the boys, smile on his face. We’ll continue to work, no rush, no pressure, we’d all love to see him playing again, it happens when it happens.” pic.twitter.com/BKZZfNzrVw— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) April 4, 2022
On JOC. 👊“Pointless putting any time on it, important we give him all the support and the time he needs. In the building, around the boys, smile on his face. We’ll continue to work, no rush, no pressure, we’d all love to see him playing again, it happens when it happens.” pic.twitter.com/BKZZfNzrVw
It has been just about as topsy-turvy of a season as you would expect for Sheffield United, who have gone through two managers already, sat inside the bottom half, and even moved up to as high as fifth in recent times.ь
Now, however, the club lost to Stoke City over the weekend which forced them out of the play-off spots as Blackburn Rovers drew with Coventry City, just as Middlesbrough defeated Peterborough United.
It now leaves the Yorkshire side on 61 points from 39 games, but with an extra game to play over Blackburn and Huddersfield Town inside the top six, they will fancy their chances at getting back into the play-offs ranks.
The defeat was also the fifth in the managerial career of Paul Heckingbottom at the club since the departure of Slaviša Jokanović, and doubts continue about his future at the club with only 11 victories from 21 games since he took the helm back in November.
The Blades really cannot afford to lose here now, as they will lose more traction on the top six with them also set to meet promotion hopefuls Bournemouth and Fulham towards the end of the season, as they even meet with QPR once again down in London in April.
As for the R’s their 2-0 loss to Fulham was their third defeat in a row during one of their worst stints of form this season as they have now conceded eight times in three fixtures while scoring just twice.
They trail Sheffield United by two points now, but given the extraordinarily close nature of the play-off battle this year, this still keeps them just five points off fourth-placed Luton Town despite sitting five places below them.
It is unlikely QPR get back to the winning column with the Yorkshire side so impressive on home soil this season, and Forebet expects Heckingbottom’s men to get another win and put pressure on those in the top six.
Forebet also expects the game to see over 2.5 goals.