Chris Wilder could surprise fans at 11:30am with Steel City derby start for ‘popular’ Sheffield United man

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Chris Wilder knows better than most just how important the Steel City derby is, but if he fancies taking a gamble today, there is one Sheffield United ace he could take a punt on.

The Blades travel across the city to Hillsborough to take on Sheffield Wednesday in one of the fiercest derbies in the EFL.

The last time these two teams met, Wilder taught Danny Rohl a lesson in composure, resilience, and the ability to grind out a result, with United taking all three points in a narrow 1-0 win at Bramall Lane.

After the game, Wilder was guilty of ‘classless’ chanting about his opposite number, which riled up the Owls’ fanbase.

But, the Blades’ boss thrives on that kind of energy, and he’s not afraid to take risks on the pitch, either.

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Rhian Brewster in, Tyrese Campbell out

Sheffield United have a number of players struggling with injury and fitness issues at the moment — Tyrese Campbell being one of them — and it’s something that could really give Sheffield Wednesday the advantage in this game.

Campbell was on the scoresheet again in the midweek draw against Bristol City. On his day, he can hurt teams, as Wednesday can attest after his derby-winning goal back in November.

But, if he’s not 100% then Wilder will surely not lean on Campbell for such a big game as this one. Indeed, it would not be surprising really to see the in-form striker left on the bench, and Rhian Brewster should be the man to lead the line if so.

Brewster offered up the assist for Campbell on Tuesday night, just seven minutes after coming on. But, it’s unlikely United would set up with both Campbell and Brewster from the start at Hillsborough — though that is another option if Wilder does want to give the 24-year-old the nod.

It appears Brewster has finally put his injury worries behind him, and the 31 appearances he’s made so far this season is the most since the 2020/21 campaign, so there’s clear progress there.

Now, Wilder can reward that and give Brewster the opportunity to do something special in the Steel City derby.

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Chris Wilder is a ‘big fan’ of Rhian Brewster

While Brewster has attracted negative attention from the other side of the city — including a ‘honking’ comment from Owls captain Barry Bannan (via talkSPORT) — he is loved by the Blades and they’d be delighted to see him make an impact at Hillsborough.

Discussing Brewster’s struggles with injury and the progress he’s been making, Wilder told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “I’m a big fan. I don’t go along with what people say. The boy didn’t want to get injured.

“Sheffield United have not seen the best of Rhian, through situations that have not been his doing for the majority of the time.

“He understands there’s pressure on him, that comes with a big price tag, although it wasn’t as big as everyone once said it was. It was nowhere near £23m, but he came with big expectations, but he’s still got to prove he is still the player he was then.

“He’s desperately trying to do that, he’s an incredibly positive and popular member of the group and we love working with him. And I think everyone internally will be delighted if he continues on the path he is and raising his game and being a massive asset for us.”

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	BurnleyBurnley	38	21	15	2	52	11	41	78
3	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	37	24	7	6	52	28	24	77
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

Clearly, Brewster is a player Wilder is rooting for. It would be a bit of a risk to start him in the Steel City derby, but can you imagine the celebrations if he did get on the scoresheet?

It would be quite the story, and we know how much Wilder loves creating a narrative like that.