Sheffield United travel to Deepdale to face Preston North End in a Championship fixture on Tuesday night. The match kicks off at 19:45 local time as part of the league's 14th round of fixtures. Their next fixture is away to Preston on Tuesday 3 November.
The Blades head into the game with some momentum from a 1-0 home victory over Wrexham last Friday. Ben Brereton scored the only goal of that match in the 30th minute. That result ended a run of three consecutive defeats, though their form over the last five games remains mixed with one win, one draw and three losses. This recent sequence includes a 1-1 draw with Derby on Saturday 24 October, where Patrick Bamford scored a 79th-minute equaliser, and a 1-0 win at Bristol City on Saturday 17 October. However, it also features defeats to Portsmouth and Stoke City. Patrick Bamford, who scored that late equaliser against Derby County the previous week, is the club's leading marksman this campaign with five goals in 11 appearances.
Manager Chris Wilder is expected to name a similar side to the one that started against Wrexham. That lineup featured a 4-4-2 formation with Cooper in goal, a back four of Choudhury, Tanganga, Kitching and Burrows, and a midfield anchored by Phillips and Sydie Peck.
Preston, meanwhile, are on a poor run of form. They have lost four of their last five matches, including a 2-0 defeat away to Stoke City on Saturday. Their last starting eleven utilised a 3-4-3 shape, with Iversen in goal and a front three of Lang, Kenny and Burgzorg.
Tuesday's game represents an opportunity for Sheffield United to climb the standings and put together back-to-back wins for the first time this season. The fixture is the next on their fixtures schedule before the international break. The team will be looking to Bamford and Brereton to provide the attacking threat needed to secure a positive result on the road.
