OPINION
Leeds United and Sheffield United are locked in an intense battle to win automatic promotion from the Championship alongside Norwich City.
This means there is a lot of pressure on both sides to gain an advantage by winning their clash on Saturday as it could prove to be huge come the end of the season.
Leeds know they will have to be at their best to beat the Blades and will no doubt celebrate any disruption to their opponent’s preparation to the game as it could help their cause.
Ahead of Saturday clash, Sheffield United have been dealt a blow as attacker Gary Madine got sent-off in the 2-0 victory over Brentford on Tuesday and as a result he will be suspended for the matches against Leeds, Bristol City and Preston North End.
The 28-year-old has regularly featured for Sheffield United since joining on loan from Cardiff City in January as he has appeared 10 times, scoring two and assisting three in the process.
While on paper it does seem like Madine’s suspension will be a headache for Chris Wilder to contend with, it may actually be a blessing in disguise for the manager.
Sheffield United seem to play better when Madine isn’t on the pitch as the 28-year-old thrives being used as a target man, and this regularly seems his teammates hoof the ball up to him which goes against their regular style.
The Blades seems to thrive when their wingers are bursting down the wing to create goalscoring opportunities and also seem to have great success when building up play and passing their way into the box.
Yet when Madine is upfront, they tend to try to find other ways to score and this ruins the flow of their play more often than not.
While the 28-year-old is a useful Plan B option for Sheffield United when their main style of play isn’t working, that’s all he is.
Wilder’s side are more than capable of excelling without him and not having him possibly to choose from could be a blessing in disguise as Sheffield United do seem more a threat without him.
The team will also know that there’s no potential Plan B to save them and they have to find a way to break Leeds down using their usual methods.
This all means that Leeds should be wary of celebrating what is perceived as a blow to Sheffield United as it might not be as much as an advantage as it appears.