Swansea boss Russell Martin pays Sheffield United huge compliment ahead of Bramall Lane clash

It’s Swansea City up next for Sheffield United at Bramall Lane as the Blades look to get back to winning ways this weekend following two draws on the bounce.

Paul Heckingbottom’s side wasted a number of chances against Hull in midweek to remain two points outside the top six. On the whole, it was a night of huge frustration for United, who must now recoup and go again against Russell Martin’s struggling Swans.

However, United remain firmly in form on the whole. Indeed, in the last six games, only Fulham have picked up more points than the Blades. Further, Heckingbottom’s men have suffered just one defeat in 13 now. And according to Swansea boss Martin, United represent the very toughest of challenges for his side.

“What an exciting challenge for us. You have to embrace the opportunity. We’ve shown on our day we can be a really good team. A team I think who are in the best form in the league [Sheff Utd] it’s a real chance for us to grow and see what we’re capable of. There’s no fear. A lot of people outside won’t expect to get too much, but we will. That’s the mentality we’ll have,” Martin told Wales Online earlier today.

Swansea, meanwhile, have dropped to 16th in the Championship despite looking good under Martin initially. They have, however, won two of the last three, including a convincing 3-1 success over Bristol City last weekend.

Our View: Anything But Three Points Against Swansea Is A Failure For Sheffield United

It’s not over dramatic, but the draw against Hull has put added pressure on this one. The good news is that unlike Hull, Swansea will probably try and come and play football a bit more.

This should allow the Blades more space and opportunities in the final third and more counter-attacking chances. This should, in theory, suit players like Ndiaye, Gibbs-White, and the two wing-backs.

On our day, United win this comfortably. But as Martin says, his Swansea side will see it as a huge challenge and they could well rise to the occasion at The Lane.

MORE SHEFFIELD UNITED NEWS…BLADES CALL UP EXCITING YOUNG TALENT TO FIRST-TEAM TRAINING AHEAD OF SWANSEA

Lee Connor

Lee Connor has been writing about all things football since 2015 and currently works as Editorial Lead for Sheffield United News and freelance writer The Boot Room. He has worked for GRV Media since January 2020 and previously worked for Football League World at Snack Media. Lee is an expert on Sheffield United and takes a keen interest in the tactical side of the game and raising talking points that go against the grain. He has a deep memory bank of 90s football stickers, knows the 1998 World Cup inside out and can’t get enough of losing in the playoffs.