The Blades are finally back at Bramall Lane this week, in their first home match since the Steel City derby win, which feels like an age ago. Sheffield United welcome Chris Wilder’s former club Oxford United to S2 on Tuesday evening.

United had to work extremely hard last Saturday afternoon to come away from Coventry with a point, after playing the entire second half with ten men due to the Anel Ahmedhodzic red card. The Blades have now extended their unbeaten run to five.

Meanwhile, Oxford had a miserable day in front of their home crowd last weekend, getting thumped 6-2 by Middlesbrough. They have now lost four of their last five matches.

Despite Oxford United’s struggles of late, I like a lot of the transfer business they did in the summer. Bringing in experienced campaigners such as, former Blade, Matt Phillips, and Siriki Dembele, on paper it looks like great pickups by a newly promoted club. The issue has been getting them on the pitch; they have only started seven Championship fixtures between them this season due to injuries. If they can get them back fit, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be impacting games for them.

One signing that surprised me was the loan agreement to bring rising Spurs talent Dane Scarlett to the club. I expected Scarlett to go to a club in mid-table, pushing for a playoff spot. Anyways, the 20-year-old has made his mark at Oxford, scoring four goals in 12 appearances, with only an average of 37 minutes per game.

Przemslaw Placheta is another signing that, on paper, I rate. The Polish wide man has bags of energy and works tirelessly all game. Once again though, he has had injury issues this season which has limited him to just four total appearances.

Wilder will be forced into a change after Anel Ahmedhodzic’s red card which means Jack Robinson will slot in alongside Harry Souttar at the back. Additionally, Gustavo Hamer is a doubt after being forced off early in the second half against Coventry, as is Tyrese Campbell, who Wilder admitted had a tight hamstring whilst being sacrificed at the end of the first half with Robinson replacing him. And, we unfortunately learned about the potential season-ending injury for Oliver Arblaster.

If Campbell’s injury is serious, it could mean Kieffer Moore and/or Rhian Brewster may return to the matchday squad this week, unless they’re willing to rely on teenage sensation Ryan Oné.

Oxford manager Des Buckingham will be without veteran full-back Joe Bennett. To add to the injury troubles, Siriki Dembele and Kyle Edwards have been ruled out until next month. Elliott Moore is suspended for this game after accumulating five bookings. Przemslaw Placheta and Matt Phillips could feature in midweek after being welcomed back to the matchday squad last weekend.

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi gives Sheffield United a 2-1 lead against Coventry City. (Image Credit: Sheffield United Football Club).

After registering an assist and a goal against Coventry City, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi would unfortunately be substituted at half-time for tactical reasons, following the dismissal of Ahmedhodzic. I’m sure he will be full of confidence heading into Tuesday night against a team that just recently conceded six goals.

Rak-Sakyi is currently averaging almost five shot-creating actions per 90, which sees him rank in the top percentile amongst his Championship peers. He also ranks in the top percentile for successful take-ons and carries into the penalty area.

This should be a game where the on loan Crystal Palace will shine, and the Blades will need to lean on him if indeed the injury worries in the squad are serious.

OXFORD, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 22: Ruben Rodrigues of Oxford United in action during the Sky Bet Championship match between Oxford United FC and Derby County FC at on October 22, 2024 in Oxford, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

If Oxford United are to pull off a shock result on Tuesday night, they will not only need to be resolute in defence, they will also need players like Ruben Rodrigues to have a flawless game. The Portuguese attacking midfielder has two goals and two assists in the Championship.

Rodrigues ranks in the 87th percentile for expected assists which shows that he is creating decent opportunities for his teammates, they are just not scoring them. He ranks in the 98th percentile for non-penalty xG; this essentially means the shots that he is taking are coming from very good chances, and this makes sense because he is in the 92nd percentile for touches in the opposition penalty area.

This is a game where Sheffield United should control large parts of the proceedings and keep the away side penned inside in their own half for much of it.

Even though the Blades rank 4th for total shots in the Championship while Oxford rank dead last, there is actually not that much difference between the two teams at expected goals per shot, both ranking in lower mid-table.

The home side have a clear advantage across the pitch and it will be difficult for the Oxford United team to make inroads into the Blades’ box. Buckingham’s men average the least final third passes per game in the league, and for that reason they are the only team to average less than 15 touches in the opposition box per game.

In contrast, the Blades are third in the Championship when it comes to touches in the opposition penalty area, and Oxford are the fifth-worst team at giving up touches in their penalty area.

Oxford rank dead last in crossing attempts so this could be a quiet game for Harry Souttar and Jack Robinson.

Even though Sheffield United are dealing with injury problems, this should be a fairly straightforward home match for Oxford United, with the visitors coming off the back of a demoralising 6-2 defeat.

The visitors are yet to win on their travels this season and that is going to be extended here. Sheffield United will win this game by at least three goals and keep a clean sheet in the process.