Sheffield United look to make it back-to-back wins as they host Preston North End to Bramall Lane

Fresh from thrashing Peterborough United 6-2 at Bramall Lane on Saturday, Sheffield United will seek their second league victory of the campaign when they host Preston North End on Tuesday night.

It’s fair to say that the Blades’ opening five games of the 2021/22 campaign were underwhelming with just two points won and one goal scored. However, Slavisa Jokanovic’s side appeared a different beast in front of the United faithful on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from Iliman Ndiaye, debutant Morgan Gibbs-White, John Fleck and Ben Osborn saw the Blades score six in a league game for the first time in over 21 years as they picked up their first Championship win under Jokanovic in style.

Now, the question that begs an answer is simply, will they be able to build on it?

On paper, the next week of fixtures should be seen as winnable with Preston North End and Hull City to come, both of whom have had quiet starts to the campaign.

An opportunity to ignite a run of form is screaming out to be grabbed by both hands for the Serbian and his side after Saturday’s convincing victory. They now have to make sure that it was a catalyst for better fortunes and not just a blip.

Their visitors come to Bramall Lane with an extra win under their belts with home victories against Peterborough and Swansea City recorded before the international break. They did also manage to pick up their first away point of the season last weekend with a goalless stalemate at Bristol City.

53-year-old Frankie McAvoy was appointed as Preston head coach back in May after a successful spell on an interim basis following Alex Neil’s dismissal and their start to the new campaign has come with mixed fortunes.

The Deepdale club was embarrassed 4-1 at home to newly-promoted Hull City on the opening day and then went on to lose their next two league contests with 2-1 and 1-0 defeats away at Reading and Huddersfield respectively.

Since their poor start, McAvoy’s side have been able to take seven points from the last three games, making them slightly in form going into their trip to Yorkshire.

However, with the Blades’ vision of a promotion push still vivid, they should certainly be seeing themselves as favourites for the fixture.

Newly acquired loanees Conor Hourihane and Morgan Gibbs-White both made their Sheffield United debuts on Saturday, with the latter starting the match and contributing a goal and an assist in the process.

Hourihane was introduced as a 71st-minute substitute, but could well be in line to make his full debut as Jokanovic looks to keep his side fresh.

Robin Olsen was another loan signing made on deadline day but, having been on international duty with Sweden, the goalkeeper was made to wait for his debut given quarantine rules. It’s likely that this will still be the case on Tuesday night with Jokanvoic labelling covid and quarantine protocols ‘unclear’.

The Blades’ first summer signing Ben Davies is back in contention, whilst David McGoldrick, Lys Mousset and Enda Stevens are yet to return to full training with injury concerns of their own.

Recording a second win in four days will prove a major boost to United’s promotion push and will certainly suggest that Jokanovic’s tactics and ideas are starting to rub off.

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