Sheffield United have been handed injury boosts ahead of their Playoff Semi-Final second leg, with The Blades close to booking their ticket to Wembley.
Chris Wilder’s side were dominant against Bristol City at Ashton Gate on Thursday, with goals from Harrison Burrows, Andre Brooks and Callum O’Hare sealing a convincing win over their hosts in a game marked by controversial refereeing decisions.
Wilder Confirms Triple Return
With the second leg being played at Bramall Lane on Monday night, both teams are facing a short turnaround to get their players ready. But United look to have a major helping hand with three first-team regulars now being available for the game.
Speaking to the Sheffield Star, Wilder revealed that Femi Seriki, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Ben Brereton Diaz will be ready in time for the game. The Chilean international has been out with illness, whilst Seriki and Rak-Sakyi have been battling shoulder and hamstring issues respectively. He said about their situations:
“We made a decision on Femi and Breo, on Thursday night, and we’re delighted to say both will be involved on Monday. Credit to the sports science department, the conditioners and the doctors and everyone else who don’t get any recognition to give me the opportunity to pick from a clean bill of health.
“(About Rak-Sakyi) He’s just had a little bit of a tight hamstring, so we’ve been careful. If there’d been a gamble to have, we’d have had a gamble. He was close to being involved on Thursday and he’ll be involved on Monday.
“We need to be at our strongest, because there’s no gimmes. The game was a tight game, they came out with a load of energy. They didn’t really create a lot, we created a lot of chances. The red-card decision swung the tie in our favour.”
Writers’ View
Sheffield United did very well on Thursday but having three players back will be very helpful to see this tie out. It may not be worth reaggravating the injuries of Femi Seriki and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi with the playoff final around the corner, but it may be worth giving them a brief runout later in the second leg, especially for the Crystal Palace loanee who has been out since the loss to Burnley in April. This tie is not over until the final whistle so The Blades need to remain focused or risk what their Steel City rivals in Sheffield Wednesday did to Peterborough United to get to the Championship two years ago.
