Sheffield United expert identifies crucial missing Callum O’Hare factor ‘needed’ to beat Coventry City

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Sheffield United against Coventry City could be another fiery encounter after the 2-2 in the reverse fixture back in November.

Tensions will be high for all involved, given what is at stage for both sides regarding the Championship title race but also on the play-off picture ahead of the final eight games for teams in the top six mix.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LeedsLeeds	38	23	11	4	76	25	51	80
2	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	38	25	7	6	53	28	25	80
3	BurnleyBurnley	38	21	15	2	52	11	41	78
4	SunderlandSunderland	38	19	12	7	55	37	18	69
5	CoventryCoventry	38	17	8	13	55	48	7	59
6	West BromWest Brom	38	13	18	7	48	34	14	57
7	Bristol CityBristol City	38	14	15	9	49	41	8	57
8	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	38	15	9	14	57	48	9	54

An Anel Ahmedhodzic red card at 2-1 saw Bobby Thomas equalise in the 80th minute to share the spoils at the CBS Arena, after Tyrese Campbell and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi had put them ahead.

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Coventry City will be looking to beat Sheffield United at Bramall Lane

EFL Analysis picked the brain of TBR Football’s Lee Connor, an expert on all things Sheffield United, to see what potential fears he has heading into the game.

He said: “In terms of Coventry, I’ve not seen that much of them under Frank Lampard in all honesty but they are clearly a threat, in form, and a trend of late goals which shows their attitude.”

The gap between the two is smaller than many perhaps realise, despite the 21-point difference between the sides, as exemplified by our combined Sheffield United and Coventry City XI, and Connor believes they will be up for it, despite playing away.

He added: “They will come to win, and there was a fair bit of needle in the reverse fixture so I’d imagine Wilder will have us up for it as well.”

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Sheffield United have issue without Callum O’Hare against Coventry — he must start

The two are first up in the 39th round of Championship fixtures as we exit the international break and all eyes will be on this huge encounter. For Lampard, it’s not only a chance to prove his and his team’s credentials against one of the best in the league, it’s a chance to show how far he’s come in the last few years.

Lampard explained how he has changed as a manager recently, and Coventry are in great form and breaking records under his tutelage. Despite all of that, Connor would not be worried enough to make wholesale changes from Chris Wilder.

He added: “The win at Wednesday was a good one but very much ground out. The performance wasn’t great and despite his hero making goal, I think Rhian Brewster will drop out for Callum O’Hare. We miss his busyness and energy; that’s needed here.”

That would also represent a return against his former side, but Connor believes much of the current team is settled at Bramall Lane. He added: “Behind, if Vini Souza is fit, he will play instead of Hamza Choudhury. The rest of the side picks itself really, unless he fancies Rak-Sakyi in for [Ben] Brereton-Diaz down the right.”

• READ MORE: Sheffield United desperate to hit Championship target as worrying record could see them fail at Premier League return

The reception for O’Hare and Hamer will be interesting from Coventry

Lampard has spoken previously about Wilder and the games in years gone by between them, while Wilder has enjoyed ‘tremendous’ previous fixtures against the legendary Chelsea figure.

This could be another thriller, with O’Hare and Gus Hamer returning against their former side. Connor added: “As for Hamer and O’Hare, I’m not sure they have a point to prove. They were brilliant for Coventry.

“Hamer is arguably the best player in the league and we gave them around £15 million, so there can’t be hard feelings there. O’Hare, though, did come in for some stick when he joined us for free so he might be the one to take any boos from the away end.”

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How Sheffield United beat Coventry City

Cov can do Leeds’ promotion chances a favour and will hope someone is a match-winner with a moment of individual brilliance to win the game, and you wouldn’t bet against an upset at Bramall Lane in the slightest.

We ranked the 20 best players in the Championship recently, and many of them will be on show here. Given what’s at stake, and Lampard’s natural desire to right that wrong from the past meeting, we could be in for a fiery affair at Bramall Lane.

With two of the in-form teams this calendar year on display, Connor believes his side can and will win if they play to their best and to their strengths at a crucial juncture in their season. He added: “In a nutshell, United will win IF we perform.

“We are second but a lot of fans will argue we’ve been poor for most of the season. It would be a great point of the season to find some form to go with the wins we pick up!”