- Preston failed to score a single goal in their last five matches of last season
- Harrison Burrows assisted 15 goals for Peterborough in League One last season
- Recommended bet: Sheffield United to win

The Championship season gets underway on Friday with two scintillating clashes, one of which sees Sheffield United head to Deepdale to take on Preston.

The Blades will be looking to make a winning start as they bid for an immediate return to the Premier League, while North End could do with some more consistency this term as their inability to maintain form saw them ultimately finish 10th in the second flight last season.

Team news

Preston are sweating on the fitness of number one Freddie Woodman after the goalkeeper sustained an injury against Salford last week. Boss Ryan Lowe believes he has a chance of making the game, but David Cornell will be ready if he doesn’t recover in time.

United saw plenty of players leave over the summer and Chris Wilder has a thin squad to work with for this opener, with more signings likely to come in before the end of the window.

Kieffer Moore and Andre Dozzell missed their last friendly against Huddersfield and are doubts, but fellow new signings Callum O’Hare and Harrison Burrows are fit and also in line for their first competitive starts for the Blades.

The stats

Preston won just two of their final seven league games of last season, only beating relegated duo Huddersfield and Rotherham in that run, while United lost their final seven games of last term.

The Blades did, however, net in away games at Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester United in the final two months of last season.

North End failed to score a single goal in their last five matches of the last campaign, losing every one of those games

New Blades wing-back Harrison Burrows assisted 15 goals in League One for Peterborough last season, while Preston recruit Stefan Teitur Thordarson scored nine times from midfield for Silkeborg in Denmark.

Prediction

A winning start would be ideal for Wilder as many have expressed their fears for United this term, especially whether he is the man to guide them back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

Luckily for the Blades boss, his side have been gifted a favourable opening match and even though they are away, they should have enough to see off Preston, who ended last season with a run of five losses in which they failed to score a single goal.

North End’s record at Deepdale was not much better either as they won just two of their final seven home games of last term, only beating relegated pair Huddersfield and Rotherham during that dreadful sequence.

There is still plenty of work to be done on United’s depleted squad, but as of right now they boast one of the strongest starting XIs in the league.

Gus Hamer, Anel Ahmedhodzic and Vini Souza are all too good for this level, while the signings of O’Hare, Moore and Burrows look to be excellent pieces of recruitment. 

Their squad is far stronger than Preston’s and they showed signs of fight towards the end of last season, netting in away trips to Newcastle, Manchester United and Liverpool in the final two months of the campaign. 

The Blades are unbeaten in seven against the Lilywhites and can keep that streak going with an opening-day win at Deepdale.

Back Sheffield United to win at 5/4 with LiveScore Bet