Championship: Struggling Sheffield Clubs Clash in Steel City Derby
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
Fiery match expected at Hillsborough
Hillsborough is the venue for the first Steel City derby of the 2025-26 Championship campaign and It’s certainly shaping up to be one to remember. There’s a sense of desperation from both sides that is sure to manifest itself on the pitch, as if a derby with this much bad blood needed any extra fuel to the flames.
With just 3.7 miles separating these two teams, there’s been over a century of not just banter, but very real hostility and violence among the fanbases. Now, the two teams find themselves both in the relegation zone, adding another element of intrigue to an already captivating fixture.
Here’s how the standings look ahead of Sunday’s match:
| Position | Team | Matches played | Record (W-D-L) | Points | Goal differential |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18. | Blackburn | 15 | 6-1-8 | 19 | -4 |
| 19. | Portsmouth | 16 | 4-5-7 | 17 | -6 |
| 20. | Swansea | 16 | 4-5-7 | 17 | -7 |
| 21. | Oxford United | 16 | 3-5-8 | 14 | -6 |
| 22. | Sheffield United | 15 | 3-1-11 | 10 | -15 |
| 23. | Norwich City | 16 | 2-3-11 | 9 | -12 |
| 24. | Sheffield Wednesday | 15 | 1-5-9 | -4 | -17 |
What’s at stake
It’s looking grim for the Owls. A 12-point deduction due to failure to pay player wages combined with their awful start to the season has all but sealed Sheffield Wednesday’s fate. It’s not all too often that you see a team stuck with a negative points total, but that’s what we have on our hands here.
Sheffield Wednesday are sitting on -4 points, putting them a massive 15 points from safety and we’re not even into December yet. Henrik Pedersen will have to pull a rabbit out of his hat if he is to prevent Wednesday from dropping down to League One for the second time in the last six years.
Wednesday fans would love nothing more than to derail United’s season even further with a win.
It may be deemed too late for the hosts but they can deal a huge blow to their rival’s survival chances. The Blades need to ensure that the gap between themselves and 21st place doesn’t become out of hand. Currently, it’s four points - which is definitely manageable with a huge chunk of the season remaining. However, should that increase to seven points, it would make things much more complicated.
Sheffield United have fared well in this rivalry as of late and haven’t lost to Wednesday in over 13 years. Check out our experts’ analysis in our Sheffield Wednesday vs Sheffield United prediction!
Steel City derby head-to-head history
- United wins: 48
- Draws: 43
- Wednesday wins: 42
- United goals: 181
- Wednesday goals: 170
Matchup to watch: Bannan vs O’Hare
Any hope of an upset for Sheffield Wednesday will more than likely require Barry Bannan to have a good game. The 35-year-old is the pulse of the team, orchestrating from the middle of the pitch and carving out scoring opportunities for his teammates.
Barry Bannan leads the Championship in chances created (33) and ranks fourth in big chances created (8).
On the other side, Callum O’Hare has arguably been United’s best player this season. The number 10 operates in one of the two attacking midfield spots behind the sole striker in Wilder’s 3-4-2-1 formation, but can also play left wing when the team shifts to a 4-4-2 or 4-2-4.
O’Hare has been putting in consistently strong performances as he looks to drag his team out of the drop zone. He’s combined for six total goal contributions – the most on the team – as well as ranking third in the squad in chances created (15).
