PREVIEW | Stoke City vs Sheffield United - team news, lineups, predictions | OneFootball

Stoke City host Sheffield United this Friday at the Bet365 Stadium in Matchweek 45 of the EFL Championship. The match will be broadcast live at 20:00 on Sky Sports Football.

Stoke City have won 50 points to date and are almost, but not quite, mathematically safe from relegation after their 6-0 thumping against promoted Leeds United last time out.

Sheffield United, meanwhile, have to swallow the disappointment of missing out on automatic promotion and refocus on the play-offs. Chris Wilder's team slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Burnley in their last fixture and will look to return to winning ways here.

The last meeting between the two teams ended with the Blades winning 2-0.

The Fan Zone

Daniel Oliveira (Playmaker Stats Editor): Still licking their wounds after that hammering up in Yorkshire, Stoke City now sit 17th, four points above the relegation zone with just two games to go – all thanks to a decent run of form. They'll be looking to make sure they’re safe with a win at home on Friday.

At home, they've only lost once in their last ten and are unbeaten in five on the bounce. With Sheffield United no longer chasing automatic promotion, Mark Robins and his lads have a cracking chance to get the job done, seal their spot in the Championship for next season, and do it all in front of their own fans.

Prediction: 2-1

Theo (Allthingsblades): With nothing to play for until the play-offs i’m expecting a lot of changes and rotation in Sheffield United’s final two games of the regular season. The Blades travel to Stoke for Friday night's 8pm kick off and Wilder insists he will still try to break the clubs record of most points in a Championship season for Sheffield United. Key players such as Souza, Hamer and Burrows who have played near every every game will likely be rested as they will be crucial for United’s play-off run.

Prediction: 1-1

Predicted lineups

Stoke City: Viktor Johansson, Junior Tchamadeu, Ashley Phillips, Ben Wilmot, Josh Wilson-Esbrand, Ben Pearson, Wouter Burger, Million Manhoef, Lewis Baker, Bae Jun-ho, Sam Gallagher

Sheffield United: Michael Cooper, Alfie Gilchrist, Anel Ahmedhodzic, Rob Holding, Sam McCallum, Andre Brooks, Hamza Choudhury, Sydie Peck, Callum O´Hare, Tom Cannon, Ben Brereton

Unavailable

Stoke City

Sheffield United

Last starting XIs

Stoke City ( vs Leeds United 2025-04-21): Viktor Johansson, Junior Tchamadeu, Ben Wilmot, Ashley Phillips, Josh Wilson-Esbrand, Ben Pearson, Wouter Burger, Million Manhoef, Lewis Baker, Bae Jun-ho, Ali Al-Hamadi

Sheffield United ( vs Burnley 2025-04-21): Michael Cooper, Anel Ahmedhodzic, Jack Robinson, Vinicius Souza, Hamza Choudhury, Gustavo Hamer, Sydie Peck, Harrison Burrows, Kieffer Moore, Tom Cannon, Ben Brereton