Sport nationSheffield United Boss Chris Wilder Makes Bold Leeds United Promotion Prediction
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has made a surprising prediction about the Championship title race, tipping promotion rivals Leeds United to win the league. Despite his side keeping pace with Leeds, Wilder believes that Marcelo Bielsa’s team has the quality and momentum to see them through to the end of the season.
Wilder’s comments came after Sheffield United’s 3-1 win over Middlesbrough on Wednesday night, a result that kept them in second place in the Championship table. Leeds, meanwhile, had thrashed Watford 4-0 on Tuesday night to maintain their two-point lead over the Blades.
While Wilder’s prediction may seem surprising, given the intense rivalry between the two teams, he was keen to emphasize that his comments were not meant to be dismissive of his own team’s chances. Instead, he was simply acknowledging the quality of Leeds’ squad and their impressive form this season.
“Leeds are the talked-about team and rightly so,” Wilder said. “They’re a fabulous group of players and are well-coached, smashing everybody here, there and everywhere. They’re everybody’s tip to win it. From my point of view, I’d say the same. But we want to make it interesting and hopefully we will do in terms of collecting the points and producing those performances.”
Wilder’s comments were echoed by his players, who were keen to emphasize that they are still very much in the title race. Despite the defeat to Leeds earlier in the season, the Blades have been in impressive form, winning their last five games in a row.
While Wilder was keen to praise Leeds, he was also quick to emphasize that his own team is still very much in the hunt for promotion. With 14 games still to go in the season, there is still plenty of time for the Blades to make their move and challenge Leeds for the title.
“We have just got to keep our heads down and keep doing what we are doing and if we do that, we are going to be in the mix,” Wilder said. “If we don’t, we will find ourselves out of it. We want to be involved in it right the way through to the end and if we keep producing those types of performances, then we are going to give ourselves a good chance.”
Sheffield United’s next game is against Luton Town on Saturday, a match that Wilder has described as “incredibly difficult.” The Blades will be looking to make it six wins in a row, but they will face a tough challenge against a Luton team that has been in impressive form this season.
After the Luton game, Sheffield United will face a mouth-watering clash against Leeds at Bramall Lane. The match is likely to be a pivotal moment in the title race, and Wilder will be hoping that his team can rise to the challenge and come out on top.
“Listen, it’s three points,” Wilder said of the Leeds game. “It’s not going to make or break our season. There would be an advantage of course, but there will be an advantage if we don’t get a result at Luton. I’m too old and experienced to take my eye off the ball. That game will take care of itself. We’ve got to fully tune in to Saturday.”
As the Championship title race continues to heat up, one thing is certain: Sheffield United will be doing everything in their power to challenge Leeds for the top spot. With Wilder at the helm, the Blades are a force to be reckoned with, and they will be hoping to make a big impact in the remaining games of the season.
Sport nation
Amina Umar