Blackburn host Sheffield United at Ewood Park on 8 September 2026, with both clubs sitting in mid table after five games of the Championship. Blackburn are 16th on five points, Sheffield United one place above them on six. Tony Mowbray's return to Ewood Park in June already gave the fixture a subplot and the EFL Cup meeting between these two sides on 25 August - a 2-1 Sheffield United win at the same ground - has since made it pointed. Blackburn need to show Mowbray's possession based approach can deliver consistency at home, while Sheffield United arrive having already won here this season.
Blackburn's last five reads L D L W D, which about sums up where they are: capable of winning but equally capable of throwing leads away or failing to turn decent football into points. Sheffield United's sequence is L W D D D, a run that says they are hard to beat but not yet finding a way to win games regularly. Both teams are scoring at similar rates, which makes the defensive side of things the more interesting question heading in.
Blackburn have a lot of question marks. Yuki Ohashi and Mathias Jorgensen are both doubts with hamstring problems, while Lewis Miller has an Achilles concern, Scott Wharton is uncertain with a muscle issue, Harry Pickering is out with a muscle injury and Moussa Baradji and Augustus Kargbo are both sidelined. That many absences across defence and attack leaves Mowbray short on rotation options, particularly when his system demands defenders who are comfortable carrying the ball into midfield. Sheffield United are also short handed, with Tom Davies and Rhys Norrington-Davies out with hamstring injuries and John Egan unavailable with a leg problem, the latter's absence being the most significant given he is their most reliable defensive organiser. Wilder will need to reshape his wing back setup without several of the players he would normally turn to.
Mowbray's Blackburn will look to dominate possession with quick combinations designed to pull Sheffield United's back five out of their defensive shape, which puts extra weight on the back line to step into midfield and join the build up rather than sitting deep. Andri Gudjohnsen is Blackburn's most likely source of goals and will need to drop deep and link play when Sheffield United crowd out the wide channels.
Sheffield United line up with a wing back system that puts width high up the pitch, with the emphasis on getting in behind when Blackburn's full backs push on and Oli Arblaster carries more midfield responsibility now without Davies and Norrington-Davies, tasked with disrupting Blackburn's rhythm while also feeding Tom Cannon and Romelle Donovan. Cannon's runs in behind are the most obvious danger to a Blackburn back line already stretched by injury.
Central midfield is where this gets decided, because Blackburn want to pull Sheffield United out of shape through patient possession whereas Sheffield United want the second balls and set piece opportunities that come when possession turns over. If Blackburn keep the ball, they can stifle Wilder's direct threat but if Sheffield United dominate the second ball situations in midfield, Blackburn's defensive gaps get punished quickly.
Sheffield United hold the advantage in recent meetings at Ewood Park, having won the EFL Cup tie 2-1 on 25 August and triumphed 3-1 in October 2025, with Blackburn's only recent bright spot a 3-1 league win in April 2026. The last three meetings have produced ten goals between them.
Blackburn's missing defenders make them particularly exposed at corners and free kicks and Sheffield United under Wilder have consistently targeted that area. The disruptions on both sides may force both teams into more reactive defending than their managers want, with midfield gaps appearing earlier than planned and individual duels carrying more weight than structured build up. Sheffield United have already beaten Blackburn at Ewood Park this season and Wilder will reference that in the build up even if he cannot field his strongest side either.
Sheffield United to win this 2-1. Wilder's direct approach, combined with set piece threat, should put Blackburn's injury hit back line under enough pressure to find a way through even without Davies, Norrington-Davies and Egan. Arblaster can win enough second balls to stop Blackburn recycling possession and Cannon's movement in behind will test a Blackburn defensive line already missing cover. Gudjohnsen is capable of scoring if the wide play opens up space but conceding on the counter or from a set piece looks more likely than not given the gaps at the back. A narrow Sheffield United win moves them above mid table while Blackburn, still adjusting under Mowbray, are left to work through a testing injury spell before this squad can show what it is really capable of.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
