Sheffield United

It is 70 years since Portsmouth last won at Bramall Lane and head into Wednesday's game (19:45 GMT) having ended a six-game winless run by beating Millwall 3-1 on Saturday.

The Blades ended their own four-match sequence without a victory by winning the Steel City derby against Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday.

• Sheffield United won their last league game against Portsmouth in March, last winning consecutive meetings with Pompey in August 2000.

• Portsmouth are winless in their past 24 away league games against Sheffield United (D4 L20), since a 3-1 win in November 1955. It's both the Blades' longest unbeaten home run against a side and Pompey's longest winless away run in their league histories.

• Sheffield United have won just one of their past eight home league games (D2 L5), while they've also failed to score more than once in any of these games.

• Having won their first away league game of the season against Oxford, Portsmouth are now winless in their past six on the road (D3 L3).

• Sheffield United have had just two different players score for them at Bramall Lane this season, with Tyrese Campbell netting their first two home goals and Callum O'Hare the last two.

Adam Oxley
BBC Radio Sheffield journalist

Image source, Shutterstock

To score one goal in a Steel City derby is always notable. To score a winning goal cements your name in folklore, just ask BBC Radio Sheffield pundit Carl Asaba from the Blades class of 2001.

To score three goals, all in winning derbies, is unprecedented in recent decades and it means Tyrese Campbell won't need to buy a beer ever again in the red and white half of Sheffield.

The 25-year-old is only the fourth player to score three times in Steel City derbies in (at least) the last 45 years, after Sheffield Wednesday's Marcus Tudgay and Sheffield United's Dane Whitehouse and Brian Deane.

And he's only the fourth player to score a brace in this fixture, during the same timeframe.

An early goal was always going to be key between the two sides who remain the lowest scorers in the Championship, and there was more than a hint of deja vu in Campbell's opener in the 3-0 win at Hillsborough.

Last November he scored the only goal as the Blades beat Wednesday 1-0 at Bramall Lane. Dutch midfielder Gus Hamer found Callum O'Hare who slipped in Campbell to score on the left corner of the six-yard box.

This time it was Dutch midfielder Jairo Riedewald who squared the ball to O'Hare and he once again played in Campbell to finish from the left, around six yards out.

History may have repeated itself with that goal, but new ground was broken when Campbell completed his brace after the break and then misfiring striker Tom Cannon finally got his season up and running with the third in added time.

It was the biggest away win – for either side – in Steel City derby history, and it was much needed and timely for both Campbell and Sheffield United.

Such is the Blades dire season so far, three points against their bitter rivals was not enough to lift them out of the Championship relegation zone, with the club still reeling from a string of disastrous decisions by the club's owners COH Sports, including the failed appointment of short-term boss Ruben Selles.

Campbell is one of several players who excelled in last season's promotion push who has subsequently struggled for goals, form and confidence during this campaign's turmoil.

The 25-year-old was the club's top scorer last term, firing in 11 goals, many in key games, after signing for the Blades on a free transfer from Stoke City.

Now the Blades history-making win at Hillsborough has to be the catalyst for more, from Campbell and his team-mates, as Chris Wilder seeks to rebuild from the summer's chaos.

Sheffield United will face much tougher challenges than their beleaguered neighbours, who didn't show up for the 134th Steel City derby.

Wednesday night's home match against fellow strugglers Portsmouth must see Wilder's men capitalise on their derby win, both with another improved performance and another three points.

Victory against Pompey could also see the Blades move out of the relegation zone for the first time this season, if Oxford don't win at Norwich on Tuesday.

Image source, Getty Images

Sheffield United's derby hero Tyrese Campbell believes Sunday's 3-0 win over neighbours Sheffield Wednesday can kickstart their stuttering season.

Campbell scored his fourth and fifth goals of the campaign, sending Chris Wilder's side to just their fourth Championship victory of the season.

The 25-year-old has history in the fixture, scoring the winner at Bramall Lane in November last year and was disappointed not to make it a hat-trick this time around.

"Obviously I scored the winner last year and that gave me confidence and belief," he told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"I had a couple more chances that I back myself to score. It could have been a lot more than 3-0, but we take it.

"We handled the pressure perfectly, our gameplan worked to perfection."

United have flattered to deceive this season after last term's play-off final defeat at Wembley. They are 22nd in the table, 15 points off the play-off spots but only a point adrift of safety.

"The start [to this season] caught us off guard," Campbell said. "We're just focused on going back up the table and picking up points game by game.

"We worked hard throughout the international break to put things right. We should be a lot higher in the league than we are and we've got to take accountability for that."

Fellow striker Tom Cannon wrapped up the win at Hillsborough in second-half injury time with his first goal of the season in his 14th appearance.

"It's been tough for him, but I'm so delighted he scored," Campbell added. "Hopefully it does the world of good for him. Everyone's been through tough times, but he deserved that."

Image source, Shutterstock Editorial

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder cited his team's hard work without the ball as a key factor in their 3-0 derby triumph at Hillsborough.

Tyrese Campbell took the headlines with a goal in each half before Blades substitute Tom Cannon wrapped up the points with a late third.

"I thought we looked particularly threatening in terms of when we created and the possession we had," Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield. "We defended well, we had a desire to keep another clean sheet and we got after them on the press.

"We were good out of possession and forced them to go long – any little periods of sustained pressure they had, we saw them out.

"We always knew it was going to be a tough afternoon. We were going to have to overcome an honest group of players, which we eventually did.

"I went up to (Sheffield Wednesday duo) Barry Bannan and Liam Palmer at the end of the game, I think the way they've handled the situation and conducted themselves is absolute credit to them not just as professionals but humans really, in terms of what they've had to deal with and galvanise their group."

If you're wondering where your team is going to finish in the Championship this season, you no longer need to worry.

Well, kind of.

Opta's supercomputer has worked its magic to figure out the most likely final league position of every team - and the chances each has of being promoted, making the play-offs or getting relegated.

Who is most likely to win automatic promotion?

It will come as no surprise that leaders Coventry are heavy favourites for the title (69.3%) and also have the highest chance of automatic promotion (84.2%) to the Premier League.

The next most likely to go straight up, with a 30.8% chance, are Middlesbrough. Despite currently sitting seventh and six points behind Boro in second, Ipswich are expected to be the third favourites for a top two finish (18.9%) followed by Stoke (14.1%).

Even though they've each enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, Preston (10.3%), Hull (6.1%) and Millwall (8.3%) have slimmer chances of finishing in an automatic promotion spot.

Who will make the play-offs?

Image source, Rex Features

Even if Coventry don't win automatic promotion, Opta's supercomputer has given the Sky Blues a 97.9% chance of a top-six finish, suggesting it's almost guaranteed.

Each of Middlesbrough, Ipswich, Preston and Stoke are expected to finish in a minimum of a play-off position at least one in two times.

Hull might feel the hardest done by as they sit fifth currently, but are said to have less chance (32.3%) than Millwall (38.8%) and Charton (32.4%), who are below them in the table.

The most likely of the chasing pack to make a surge up the table are 12th-placed Leicester City, who have been given a 31.8% chance of finishing in the top six and are more likely than Bristol City (28.9%), Derby (22.9%) and Birmingham (19.9%).

Last season's beaten play-off finalists Sheffield United have just a 1.8% chance of recovering their season to make the play-offs again, while relegated Premier League side Southampton (12.5%) aren't likely to either... if you trust the supercomputer!

Who is going down?

Image source, Rex Features

It's probably not hard to work out who is most likely to finish bottom and be relegated to League One.

Sheffield Wednesday's 12-point deduction, which has left them 17 points adrift of safety on -4 points, means they're pretty much nailed on to finish bottom (84.8%) - and failing that, are almost certain to go down (98.2%).

Second from bottom Norwich are the next most likely candidates to fall through the trap door (58.5%) but Sheffield United, who currently occupy the final relegation spot, have just a 22.4% chance of going down and are considered more likely to stay up than Oxford (37.8%) and Portsmouth (31.3%).

The Steel City derby returns on Sunday (12:00 GMT) with both team looking towards safety from the bottom three.

Sheffield Wednesday could get closer to being out of negative numbers following their 12 point deduction, a win taking them to -1 as well as providing yet another boost to morale around Hillsborough.

Though victory for the Blades could see them level on points with 21st placed Oxford United should the U's lose their match against Middlesbrough, leaving them with a chance to strike next time around.

• This will be the 134th Steel City derby between Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United – in the previous 133, the Owls have won 42, while the Blades have won 48 with the other 43 games ending as draws.

• Sheffield United are unbeaten in their last six league games against Sheffield Wednesday (W3 D3), keeping a clean sheet in each of their last five against their rivals.

• Including injury time, the two teams to have spent the fewest time winning in Championship matches this season are Sheffield United (192 mins) and Sheffield Wednesday (219 mins), while the Owls have spent the most amount of time losing in games this season in the second tier (801 mins).

• Sheffield United have just 10 points in 15 Championship games this season (W3 D1 L11), 23 fewer than they had at this stage in 2024-25 (33). It is the biggest drop of points after 15 games in consecutive English second tier seasons by any team in history.

• Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan has created the joint most chances in the Championship this season (33), while he's made the most successful crosses (34) and played the most passes into the opposition box (150) of any player in the competition

Image source, Shutterstock

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has admitted he has found the job of turning the club's fortunes around harder than he had expected.

Wilder returned to the club in September, three months after being sacked and replaced by Ruben Selles.

Selles lost all six of his competitive games in charge and Wilder, who takes his side to Steel City rivals Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday, has lost six of 10 since coming back in.

"It's been a tough period for everyone, most importantly the supporters," he told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"I've been disappointed in the results. The performances, from a data point of view, have been pretty good.

"It's a mixed group, there are players that I have inherited and there are ones I had last season who have not produced good enough performances.

"Getting it right has been difficult. I thought it would be easier than it has been but we are working away and we will get to where we want to."

The Blades, beaten in last season's play-off final, will head to Hillsborough on Sunday in the Championship relegation zone.

Wednesday are bottom of the table on minus four points after entering administration last month.

Wilder praised the job that Owls counterpart Henrik Pedersen has done in difficult circumstances.

"The hand that Henrik was dealt was a really tough one - I've been there before at Northampton and at Halifax and I think he has got absolutely everything out of a committed group of players," he said.

"We know how dangerous this game is for us. We're not in the best league position ourselves and we'd like to be in a better one.

"We always know that everything goes out of the window with this game."