- 1 Sheffield United vs Derby County: Eustace down to one senior centre-back for the trip to Bramall Lane
- 2 Sheffield United: Arblaster’s return to scoring and Bamford on four league goals
- 3 Derby County: seven league games without a win and nine goals in 11 matches
- 4 Free Football Prediction: Sheffield United vs Derby County
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
Sheffield United vs Derby County: Eustace down to one senior centre-back for the trip to Bramall Lane 
Dion Sanderson is the only senior centre-back John Eustace has available. Against Stoke last Saturday, Derby County used Nyambe in the middle of defence, lost 1-0 at home and extended their winless league run to seven games.
Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off at Bramall Lane (12:30pm UK time) sends them to a Sheffield United side that has just won away. Chris Wilder’s team beat Bristol City 1-0 on 17 October through Arblaster’s fifth-minute goal and finished with an expected goals count of 1.23 against 0.58.
Sheffield United are 11th with 15 points from 11 games, two points off the play-off places. Derby are 23rd with six points, three behind 21st, and their nine league goals are the fewest in the division.
The list of absentees at Derby runs well past the back line. Patrick Agyemang has a ruptured Achilles, Langas is out for the rest of 2026 with a groin injury, first-choice goalkeeper Widell Zetterstrom has a knee problem, and Clarke, Forsyth, Murkin, Cashin, Johnston and Taylor are all unavailable.
Derby moved to cover the gap by signing Jack Robinson, a former Sheffield United defender, on an initial three-month contract last weekend. He wasn’t registered in time for the Stoke game and his fitness is being monitored, so he may make his debut against his old club.
Derby did win 3-1 at Bramall Lane in November 2025. Sheffield United have the better long-term record on this ground, though, with eight wins, two draws and four defeats in league meetings there since 1994, and they won the most recent game 2-1 at Pride Park in May.
Sheffield United: Arblaster’s return to scoring and Bamford on four league goals 
The win at Ashton Gate was Arblaster’s first goal in more than two years, and Wilder singled out him and Kalvin Phillips as “exceptional” afterwards. Jordan Ayew, who joined on a free transfer last month, made his first start in the same game.
It came three days after a 3-2 defeat at Portsmouth, which in turn followed a 3-0 home win over Lincoln on 10 October. Wilder’s side have been hard to predict, with four wins, three draws and four defeats, and 15 scored against 14 conceded.
At home the record is two wins, a draw and two defeats from five, and the defeats include a 1-0 loss to Wolves. Away from Bramall Lane they’ve won two, drawn two and lost two.
Bamford leads the scoring with four league goals, Cannon has three and Tanganga two from defence. The probable front pairing is Cannon and Bamford, with Arblaster and Brereton Diaz either side of Phillips and Peck.
Seriki is out with a knee injury and Shackleton is unavailable for health reasons. Hamza Choudhury is back from suspension, which gives Wilder a second option in the holding role if Phillips needs managing.
We’d expect the home side to push the full-backs on, with Tanganga and Burrows both able to get forward against a Derby defence built from whoever is left.
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Derby County: seven league games without a win and nine goals in 11 matches 
Derby’s last league win came in early September. Since then they’ve lost 3-0 at West Ham, 1-0 at home to West Brom, 2-1 at home to Birmingham, drawn 1-1 at Burnley and 1-1 at home to Wrexham, lost 4-1 at QPR on 14 October and then 1-0 to Stoke.
Against Wrexham, Szmodics scored after nine minutes and Derby held the lead until the 88th, when Rathbone equalised.
Away from Pride Park the record is one win, one draw and three defeats from five. Their only league win of the season came on the road, which is why we don’t dismiss them entirely, but they’ve scored five and conceded ten away from home.
Szmodics, on loan, is the top scorer with three league goals. With Agyemang out long-term, Morris is expected to lead the line, with Brewster, Clark and Szmodics behind him.
Vickers continues in goal for Zetterstrom, Ward and Hedges should start at full-back, and either Robinson or Nyambe will partner Sanderson. Mowatt or Fraulo will join Ozoh in midfield.
Eustace has already had to use Nyambe at centre-back out of necessity. Derby have conceded 20 in 11 league games, and the QPR defeat on 14 October produced four of them.
Probable lineup Sheffield United: Cooper; Tanganga, McGuinness, Kitching, Burrows; Phillips, Peck; Arblaster, Brereton Diaz; Cannon, Bamford
Probable lineup Derby County: Vickers; Ward, Sanderson, Robinson, Hedges; Mowatt, Ozoh; Brewster, Clark, Szmodics; Morris
Free Football Prediction: Sheffield United vs Derby County
Our prediction: Sheffield United to win (odds 1.80)
Derby arrive with one fit senior centre-back, a reserve goalkeeper, the lowest goal tally in the Championship and seven league games without a win. Sheffield United are coming off an away win in which they produced roughly double their opponents’ expected goals.
The home record of two wins from five keeps us from going bigger than the match result, and Derby did win here last November. This Derby side travels without Agyemang, Zetterstrom, Clarke, Cashin, Forsyth, Murkin and Taylor.
We’re taking Sheffield United at 1.80. Bamford and Cannon have seven league goals between them, which is only two fewer than Derby’s entire squad, and we expect the gap in depth to show in the second half.
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