Five remaining away fixtures and with the possible exception of the visit to Cardiff, this fixture looks the toughest.

Sheffield Utd v Derby County

Coca Cola Championship

3pm, Saturday 14th Match 2009

Bramall Lane, Sheffield

The Blades are still pushing for automatic promotion but are four points behind 3rd place Reading and eight points behind Birmingham.

A 2-2 draw with Blackpool on Tuesday won't have helped - Assistant manager Sam Ellis after the game;

"Automatic promotion is still up for grabs although a few teams above us will be relieved we didn't pick up three points. It is that type of league this season; it must be the hardest league in the world to get out of."

Reading have faltered in recent weeks (as have Birmingham). With only one win in seven, the Royals are looking catchable.  The Blades have been unable to make much head road in to their lead however with the last two games ending in draws after a couple of good wins.

Manager Kevin Blackwell called on the Players to get back to winning ways but warns them that the Rams will be no pushover;

"When you look at them they are vastly experienced. They've got a lot of experienced players. There isn't a kid in sight. It's going to be a tough game, because they know it's a big game coming to Bramall Lane. Everything I've seen about them suggests they perform in big atmospheres."

Greg Halford is Blackwell’s only major doubt as he's recovering from illness. John-Joe O'Toole, Craig Beattie, and Jamie Ward are all available to start.

Blades Facts

The Rams

Nigel Clough is still looking to strengthen the squad before the loan window shuts. With injury taking its toll and Clough clearly not rating one or two players, the Rams are short of fit bodies to compete in some of the remaining games. Speaking on BBC, Clough said;

"We are still waiting for an answer on a player we enquired about this week and if we get the opportunity we will bring one or two more in just to help us in those last 10 games.

Clough highlighted the defence as his main area of concern'

"We are a bit short at the back, centre-forwards we are okay but that's the only department where we are I think."

One player who seems to be thriving under Clough is Lewin Nyatanga. Previously an audible groan has gone up around Pride Park when the youngsters name was mentioned however it's clear that he's now finding his feet - and staying on them. His form is such these days that if Dean Leacock was fit you wonder who Clough would drop to bring him back.

Jay McEveley might be fit for this game and if so will probably go straight back into the team. Jordan Stewart seems to have fallen out of favour and to me that's slightly mystifying. Okay he got caught out of position a few times - but at least he is a left back.

Kris Commons is still out which is slightly worrying as he was only reported as having a tight hamstring. Paul Davies could be in the team given his goal on Tuesday and Mile Sterjowski hopes he will be allowed to continue in midfield against the Blades;

"I've been hungry to play for a very long time and I'm just happy to be putting on a Derby shirt, whatever position it may be.

Mick's team: Bywater, McEveley, Nyatanga, Albrechtsen, Connolly, Teale, Todd, Savage, Davies, Barazite, Hulse

What the Bookies think

The Blades are 4/5 on to win this game while you can get 11/4 on the Rams from William Hill. Dan Webber is the favourite to score at 6/5 while Henderson, Ward and Arturo Lupoli are at 5/4. Rather surprisingly, top scorer Beattie is at 6/4 but the short odds on several players point to the Blades having a lot of firepower.

Rob Hulse and Chris Porter are both at 9/4 while the Duke is at 11/4.

Information for travelling fans

Driving: its 35 miles to Sheffield. Best route is M1 North to J33 and take the A630 into Sheffield City Centre and then take the inner ring road (A621) towards Bakewell.  The ground is about a 1/4 of a mile outside of the city centre on the A621 Bramall lane. I'd take the train and get a Tram to the ground personally as the traffic around the city centre can be an absolute pain. 

Parking: There's street parking to be had around the ground but you need to arrive early otherwise you can end up parked miles from the ground and miss the kick off. An alternative is to park at Meadowhall Shopping centre off J34 of the M1 and get a tram into the city and walk from there.

Drinking: Footballgroundguide.com recommends the 'Royal Standard' on the A61 near McDonalds and about ten minutes walk away.  To be honest, if you arrive by train you can drink anywhere in Sheffield City Centre. Blades fans tend to be more welcoming that their Wednesday brethren in my experience.

Mick's prediction

According to the ticket office, we've sold nearly 2,500 for this game. Note that no tickets are available on the gate. Good crowd and a big match atmosphere seem to suit Nigel Clough's men so let’s hope we can do Reading a favour.

Photo: Action Images

Middlesbrough Polls