'Man Utd game is the kind of occasion when the home crowd comes into its own'

Rob Staton, BBC Radio Sheffield

I was hosting a roundtable discussion on the radio with a couple of other journalists on Tuesday and we all shared the same opinion. For some reason, we all fancy Sheffield United against Manchester United.

This could end up looking really foolish come Saturday night. However, Erik ten Hag’s team are flaky. They’ve struggled in winnable games.

The international break perhaps came at a good time for the Blades and the supporters at Bramall Lane will throw themselves into a contest of this magnitude.

Of course, the injury situation for Paul Heckingbottom is so substantial that it could derail any hope of an upset. This is the type of occasion, though, when the home crowd comes into its own. Manchester United will need to be up for this and at times this year, they’ve been left wanting.

Roared on by a vocal fanbase, in a night game, will the Sheffield United players lift themselves in a way we have seen in the recent past?

Maybe it’s just vain hope that the Blades can throw a few punches back in the Premier League to ignite a challenging start to the season.

If they can get a win against the Red Devils though, it would provide a major boost.