MIDDLESBROUGH are looking for their first win of the season this afternoon against promotion candidates and Chris Wilder's former side Sheffield United.

Boro have drawn one and lost one of their opening Championship games to West Brom and QPR respectively while the Blades have lost to Watford but beaten Millwall.

The Boro boss spent five years at Brammall Lane where he led the Blades to two promotions. However, his first game against his old side in charge of Boro ended in a 4-1 defeat back in March.

Wilder admits he's not giving this game any special treatment as he said: "The attitude and preparation is no different to any other game, period, full stop. It has to be. There are obvious connections, but the level of trying to win any game is always full tilt for me. 

"That’s gone, that’s history, that was last season. We’re onto a fresh team from our point of view, and a fresh season. That happened, and Sheff United got into the play offs and we didn’t. We had a fantastic run of it to keep our season going until the last game of the season, which I think is a better achievement than it maybe it looked at the time. But that season finished on that day (at Preston) for us. It was a couple of weeks later for them.

"So that’s how I look at it. This a brand new season, a fresh start, and we’ve only got one point out of two games, and we need to add to that on Sunday afternoon."

Darragh Lenihan will be available for selection for the game after serving his one match suspension after his red card against QPR.

Sheffield United, who finished in the play-offs last season, continue to reap the benefits of parachute payments following their relegation from the Premier League in 2021.

Whilst Wilder has relayed his frustrations of the imbalance parachute payments creates, he admits that it's something that his side must overcome to become a promotion candidate. 

He continued: "There will always be favourites for promotion and teams that are fancied for various reasons. Maybe that’s historical, maybe that’s a change in coaches and managers, maybe new signings and maybe what happened last season. Then you have the teams relegated and have parachute payments and maybe keeping their squad’s in tact, which Sheffield United largely did.

"Everyone knows the advantages that the teams with parachute payments have. But we have to get over all of those hurdles, whoever we are playing. Everyone recognises that nothing is given. There are no advantages just because you’re a big club.

"You’ve got to get over this type of things and approach everything in a consistent manner from a mentality point of view. That’s going to be key for anybody who is successful this season - that they are consistent in everything they do."