Hull City vs Sheffield United; Sky Bet Championship
Hull City vs Sheffield United. Sky Bet Championship.
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Hull vs Sheffield United preview
Sunday 21 April 2019 15:19, UK
Sheffield United head to Hull on Easter Monday with the keys to the Premier League in their hands.
A dramatic Good Friday allowed the Blades to leapfrog Leeds back in to second and they know if they win their last three games they are all but certain to be back in the top flight.
Striker and talisman Billy Sharp and midfielder Chris Basham (both hamstring) remain out, but John Egan returns from a one-match ban for Chris Wilder's men. United know that barring Leeds overturning a goal difference of six, all they need to do is match their Yorkshire rivals' results.
Hull saw their outside hopes of making the play-offs fade in a thrilling loss to West Brom. Manager Nigel Adkins is set to be without Markus Henriksen (back) and Reece Burke (ankle).
City are seven points outside the top six with three games remaining.
Opta stats
Hull are looking to win consecutive home league games against Sheffield United for the first time since October 1983.
Sheffield United last completed a league double over Hull during the 2005-06 season, when the Blades won promotion to the Premier League under Neil Warnock.
No side is on a current longer unbeaten run in the Championship on home soil than Hull , who have won nine and drawn three of their last 12 such matches; the Tigers last lost at the KCOM Stadium back in November against Nottingham Forest (0-2).
Sheffield United have only lost one of their seven league Yorkshire derbies this season (W3 D3 L1), a 0-1 defeat at home to Leeds in December.
Hull have won their last three home league games when they've trailed at half-time, doing so against Swansea, Reading and in their last home game against Wigan.
Current Sheffield United midfielder Kieran Dowell netted a hat-trick on his only previous appearance at the KCOM Stadium against Hull, scoring all three goals for Nottingham Forest in a 3-2 victory in October last season.
Prutton's prediction
I can hardly take our eyes off the battle for second in the Championship at the moment and, even at this stage, I can't choose between Leeds and the Blades to, seemingly, join Norwich in the automatic promotion spots.
Chris Wilder's side have wobbled against both Birmingham and Millwall in recent weeks, but though the Tigers' play-off hopes seem to have now faded, I can see the two sides sharing the spoils at the KCOM Stadium.
David Prutton predicts: 1-1 (11/2 with Sky Bet)
