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Chesterfield and Sheffield United will ramp up their pre-season preparations on Saturday when they square off in a friendly at the SMH Group Stadium.
The visitors will hope to gear up for a promotion charge in the Championship, while their visitors' last competitive action came in an unsuccessful League Two playoff semi-final.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Chesterfield vs. Sheffield United key stats
- Chesterfield won six of their last eight games of the regular League Two season.
- Only three teams scored more goals than Chesterfield (71) in League Two last season.
- Sheffield United have won the last four H2Hs, all of which came in League One.
- Sheffield United have scored 15 goals in their last seven matches.
Chesterfield vs. Sheffield United preview: Sheffield United to build up preparations for Championship promotion bid?
Chesterfield vs Sheffield United — Tale of the Tape
| Chesterfield | vs | Sheffield United |
|---|---|---|
| 6th (League Two 2025-26) | Position | 13th (Championship 2025-26) |
| 79 | Points | 60 |
| 71 | Goals For | 66 |
| 56 | Goals Against | 66 |
| 15 | Clean Sheets | 10 |
| 7th | Home / Away Rank | 12th |
Chesterfield came into pre-season ahead of the 2026-27 term aiming to go one better than their previous two seasons in League Two, in which they suffered playoff semi-final losses in both.
They finished sixth last time around on 79 points, only to succumb to a 1-0 aggregate defeat at the hands of Notts County, after managing 21 victories from their 46 games alongside just nine defeats and scoring 71 goals.
Paul Cook's team will now bid to kick on, having started their preparations last weekend with a 2-0 victory over non-league Clay Cross Town.
The Spireites have bolstered their squad ahead of their latest promotion bid, with Junior Eccleston, Jack Simpson and Alfie Pond arriving in defence alongside midfielder George McEachran and new attacker Ruel Sotiriou, who may feature for the first time on Saturday.
They will now look to make a statement with victory over Championship opposition before the League Two campaign kicks off next month.
Their visitors, meanwhile, are also aiming to make it consecutive wins in pre-season as they search for a much-improved Championship season in 2026-27.
After falling short of promotion back to the Premier League in the Championship playoff final in 2025, Sheffield United failed to mount another promotion push last time around, eventually finishing 13th in a disappointing campaign.
Chris Wilder's men managed 60 points while scoring and conceding 66 goals, albeit having built a degree of optimism in the final run of the term with three wins from their last five games, ending in a 2-1 away win over Derby County.
The Blades kicked off pre-season with an away victory over fifth-tier Halifax Town last Saturday, winning 3-1 thanks to goals from Tom Cannon, Tyrese Campbell and Gustavo Hamer.
In the midst of a relatively slow summer of transfers, with Danny Ings, Ben Mee, Tom Davies and Andre Brooks departing while Brentford loanee Romelle Donovan is the only fresh addition alongside returning midfielder Jairo Riedewald, Sheffield United will bid to step up their preparations for their third-straight second-tier campaign in Chesterfield before heading abroad at the end of the month.
Chesterfield vs. Sheffield United form guide & betting tips
| Chesterfield | vs | Sheffield United |
|---|---|---|
W
W
L
D
W
|
Form |
W
L
L
W
W
|
| 6 | Goals For | 10 |
| 2 | Goals Against | 8 |
W |
Club Friendly | W |
Whispers predicts: Chesterfield 2-3 Sheffield United
Sheffield United scored three goals in their pre-season opener at Halifax Town, with an abundance of attacking talent keen to impress, while Chesterfield also have the attacking talent to cause their Championship visitors issues. We fancy over 3.5 goals in the game.
Halifax Town were able to break through a rotated Blades defence last time out, while they only kept 10 clean sheets in the Championship last time around. Against a Chesterfield side with plenty of threats, we envisage the hosts getting on the scoresheet and back Both Teams to Score.
Chris Wilder's men will be keen to make it two wins from two in an attempt to kickstart their upcoming campaign, though, and have the quality to get through a tricky test, particularly with Callum O'Hare and Sydie Peck set to return from slight fitness concerns. We back Sheffield United to win the game.
> Over 3.5 goals | Likelihood: Probable
> Both Teams to Score | Likelihood: Probable
> Sheffield United to win | Likelihood: Likely