The new Championship season is just a few hours away from kicking off, and whilst the World Cup has been a fun distraction, we’ve certainly missed the feeling of watching domestic football on a week to week basis. There’s just something different about the style of play, the fanbases and the overall atmosphere of these games that make things feel special.

As we look ahead to the start of yet another new campaign, it’s fair to say that this is set to be one of the most open races for promotion in quite some time. There are at least a dozen teams who will be harbouring realistic goals of getting into the top six, with many others having a ‘let’s see how things go’ kind of attitude – and that’s never a bad position to be in.

Two such teams who will likely be there or thereabouts at the end of the season in May are Swansea City and Sheffield United, who will be facing off tomorrow night in their Championship opener. Both clubs have a long and storied history in this division, and as we all know, they’re both familiar with the ecstasy of promotion as well as the pain and anguish of relegation.

The Swans, in particular, felt that disappointment just a few months ago when they dropped out of the Premier League after a poor season in the top flight.

They never really felt like a unit as they had done in the years gone by, which was a shame to see, given that they had the potential to do some big things if they had just learnt from the blueprints that were set for them when they initially gained promotion.

Sheffield United, on the other hand, are a team who are building for the future in more ways than one. After a few years of being stuck in the third tier, their passage back up into the Championship gave them a new lease of life, as they were able to push hard for the top six last season before eventually finishing down in 10th.

They seem to have compiled a squad full of players willing to fight for the badge on the shirt, which is a vital trait to have in a league as unpredictable as the Championship. They’ve kept hold of their big players for the most part and have even been able to add to their ranks, making them a seriously dangerous opponent for anyone this season.

In terms of how we think this game is going to go, it’s hard to look past the Blades in this one despite Swansea being the newly relegated side in this equation. Sheffield United still have a lot of momentum from last season and with the Bramall Lane crowd behind them, it feels like they’ve got enough in the tank to grind out the win. We think it’ll be pretty close, with United grinding out a 1-0 win, but either way, Swansea face a tough nine months that will really test their credentials in a big way.

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