Neil Warnock issues Sheffield Wednesday warning to Sheffield United ahead of Steel City derby | OneFootball

Neil Warnock has shared his thoughts on this weekend's Steel City derby between Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday.

Former Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock believes his former club are favourites going into the Steel City derby on Sunday, but he warned the Blades about the threat posed by Sheffield Wednesday.

This weekend will see bitter rivals Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday meet for the first time in over five years, and it is set up to be an intriguing contest, with both sides coming into the game in confident mood after midweek success.

It looked as though United were heading for defeat against Bristol City at Ashton Gate on Tuesday night when Anis Mehmeti's penalty gave the Robins the lead in the 75th minute, but substitute Ryan One equalised for the visitors in the 86th minute before Harrison Burrows won it in the eighth minute of stoppage time to seal a third consecutive victory for Chris Wilder's side.

The Blades currently sit second in the Championship table, two points clear of third-placed Leeds United, and they would be level with leaders Sunderland had they not received a two-point deduction at the start of the season.

Wednesday bounced back from their humiliating 6-2 home defeat to Watford on Saturday with a comfortable 2-0 win over Norwich City at Hillsborough on Tuesday night, with first half goals from Josh Windass and Dominic Iorfa securing all three points for the Owls.

Danny Rohl's men are 15th in the table, just four points from the play-off places, but such is the competitive nature of the division this season, they are also only three points clear of the relegation zone.

Neil Warnock sends Sheffield Wednesday warning to Sheffield United

Warnock admitted that United will be favourites to win Sunday's game, but he warned that derbies can often be unpredictable, and he believes that Wednesday have the ability to hurt the Blades.

"I think United will obviously be favourites, and yet, Wednesday can beat anybody on their day," Warnock told BBC Radio Sheffield, quoted by The Star.

"I mean, they can lose to anybody on their day as well, but they’ve got players who can beat anybody on their day. It promises to be a cracking game, really. Like I say, I think United will be favourites, but anything can happen in a derby. Whether you’re bottom of the league or top in these games, it doesn’t matter.

"It’s about who wants it more. They’ve got some good players, United. I think they made some good signings. The lad Cooper should be in the Premier League, for me, and he may well be next season. And what can you say about Barry Bannan? I thought he’d finished 10 years ago, me. He keeps getting better and better. But I used to say to my players before a derby: “This is life or death ... there’s no coming back from this. Who’s in the trenches next to you?” There was no softly-softly approach."

The 75-year-old, who currently works as a football advisor at National League South side Torquay United after retiring from management, revealed his excitement at the return of the Steel City derby, and he said he hopes both clubs can be back in the Premier League in the not-too-distant future.

"They’re special games and it’s great to have them back. No-one wants to see Wednesday down there," Warnock said.

"I’m hoping that in my lifetime we can get them back in the Premier League and have a derby in the Premier League, that’d be fantastic. With 30-odd thousand at Hillsborough and the same at Bramall Lane, it’s a great atmosphere.

"When you look at the top-flight now and look at, with no disrespect... Bournemouth? Brentford. The Sheffield clubs are massive, so I just hope they can get back. I’m not saying they’ve been run right over the years because I’m sure they could have come back sooner."

Sheffield United must be wary of Sheffield Wednesday threat

It is difficult to disagree with Warnock that United head into Sunday's game as favourites, but they must not underestimate Wednesday.

The Owls took a defensive approach on their last two visits to Bramall Lane in 2018 under Jos Luhukay, and it enabled them to secure two goalless draws, but Rohl is unlikely to employ a similar strategy this time around, which could be dangerous for the Blades.

Wednesday have been incredibly inconsistent this season, and that was perfectly underlined by the fact they lost heavily to Watford on Saturday before beating Norwich in midweek, but as Warnock says, they are capable of competing against any team in the division on their day.

However, given the fact that United are unbeaten at home and have conceded just two goals on their own patch all season, keeping five consecutive clean sheets, a victory for Wilder's men seems the most likely outcome.