Sheffield United vs Millwall – Preview | OneFootball

Winless Sheffield United host Millwall on Saturday afternoon at Bramall Lane, with the pressure already building on Ruben Selles.

The Blades gave their supporters nothing to get excited about last weekend during their 1-0 defeat away at Swansea City in which they did not even register a shot on target.

Meanwhile, Millwall suffered a 3-0 hammering at home to Middlesbrough, so the Lions enter South Yorkshire hoping for a big reaction.

Transfer Business

Alex Neil has some new players at his disposal after signing some typical Championship players such as Josh Coburn and Massimo Luongo. But the standout signing is undoubtedly Alfie Doughty from Luton Town.

The attacking left-back already has an assist in his two league starts for Millwall this season, his crossing technique to go with Millwall’s physicality will cause huge problems for the opposition.

Doughty has excellent delivery from both open play and dead-balls. He also possesses good power in his runs down the wing which makes him tough to shrug off the ball, and his good engine allows him to keep powering down the left flank for the full 90 minutes.

Team News

Sheffield United will still be without Jamie Shackleton, Tom Davies and Oliver Arblaster for this game, Selles has confirmed. The Spaniard could have some new players to choose from at the back though with Ben Godfrey, Nils Zatterstrom and Japhet Tanganga potentially coming in before the deadline on Friday afternoon.

Millwall boss Alex Neil doesn’t expect left-back Joe Bryan to feature against the Blades, while there’s rumours that the aforementioned Doughty could be out long-term after suffering a hamstring injury in last weekend’s loss to Boro.

Sheffield United’s Impact Player For This Game

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – AUGUST 09: Tyrese Campbell of Sheffield United controls the ball during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield United and Bristol City at Bramall Lane on August 09, 2025 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Ed Sykes/Getty Images)

Tyrese Campbell cut a very frustrated figure last time out against Swansea when he was eventually substituted. He barely had a sniff all game. However, I expect him to have a bounce-back performance at Bramall Lane with the Blades likely having the majority of the ball.

Despite Jake Cooper towering over Campbell, the United striker can get plenty of joy by playing on the last shoulder of the Millwall captain. When the Blades have the ball in the final third, Campbell comes alive with his explosive burst of pace over 10 yards, but it’s his intelligence that ensures his runs are always troublesome for defenders.

Last term Campbell netted ten Championship goals in 20 starts, and his statistics in front of goal showed that he was one of the most clinical finishers outside of the Premier League. You don’t just do that by chance, it requires excellent composure, just like we saw from him for his equalising goal against Bristol City in the first game of the campaign.

Millwall’s Impact Player For This Game

BURNLEY, ENGLAND – MAY 03: Mihailo Ivanovic of Millwall scores his team’s first goal past James Trafford of Burnley during the Sky Bet Championship match between Burnley FC and Millwall FC at Turf Moor on May 03, 2025 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

Based on last week’s defeat to Swansea, Millwall could cause United huge problems. It seemed like whenever the ball entered the box, Swansea created havoc and almost found a goal from a cross from open play or dead-ball. That’s something you definitely don’t want to see right before you face a towering Millwall side that can bully teams from these sort of positions.

We’ll await to see whether or not the Blades have any new defenders to choose from at the weekend, one of which could potentially be Japhet Tanganga, who is reportedly wanted by United with talks said to be advancing.

But if that’s not the case, Mihailo Ivanovic could have his way with both Tyler Bindon and Jack Robinson. The big Serbian is a tall and mobile target man who can finish with either foot as well as in the air. He’s coming off the back of a solid debut season in England after bagging 12 goals in 23 Championship starts (and 14 sub appearances).

Over the last 12 months very few strikers at this level can match him for aerial duels won – he averages almost five aerial duels won per 90, ranking him in the 87th percentile. I mentioned Campbell’s clinical nature last season, but Ivanovic also falls into that category – he ranks in the 85th percentile for goals per shot, so when he pulls the trigger he likely scores.

My Prediction

This one will feature two very contrasting styles. Millwall want to go direct as early as possible and then feed off the second and third ball phases, where they can potentially push players forward in bursts and then get crosses into the box. Out of possession, they’ll likely bail out of a press and regroup into a 4-5-1 type of shape to pack out the midfield area.

Selles wants to play accurate sharp passes from his defence into his midfielders and wide players in advanced areas, and he wants his team to shift the ball quickly but accurately up the pitch. Off the ball, Selles wants to press in numbers to limit the chance for the opposition to launch an attack as well as forcing high turnovers.

This is a learning process for both the players and Selles, and I think we’ll see a much more settled side at the weekend and one that knows their roles and details a little bit better.

Sheffield United have enough quality in their squad to get a win here, though I’ll be much more confident in the three points if we see some new signings start at the back.

Stats taken from FBref.com.