CHRIS WILDER says Middlesbrough’s ability to “create big chances” will make them dangerous opponents for his Sheffield United side tomorrow night.

Boro head to Bramall Lane to take on a Blades team currently occupying the second automatic-promotion position as they look to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking following last season’s relegation.

Wilder knows all about Boro’s capabilities having been manager of the club for just under 12 months prior to being dismissed in October 2022, when he was replaced by Michael Carrick.

He watched Boro beat his Sheffield United team at the Riverside in October, with Emmanuel Latte Lath scoring the only goal, and expects his former club’s attacking capabilities to make for another difficult game tomorrow.

“It was a tough game up there, and I’ve said they are one of the outstanding teams in the division, who are well coached and managed, with a good group of players,” said Wilder. “I know a few of them obviously.

“They are really difficult opponents with controlled possession who create big chances, a really good side, and I think it will be a really interesting game between two of the teams fancied to have really successful seasons.

READ MORE:

• Middlesbrough transfer confirmed as defender leaves after tough spell

• Tommy Conway's Middlesbrough hope - and view on team-mate he 'loves spending time with'

“It was a tight game up there and we had opportunities to get ourselves in front and started quite well, but they managed to wrestle back that control and they were the better side in the second half. It was a tight game won by a fabulous pass and great finish.”

Wilder criticised his side’s performance last weekend as they squeezed past Portsmouth in a 2-1 home win, but having had time to reflect, the 57-year-old accepts he has to be mindful of how far his team have come since the start of the campaign.

“When you look at the team and what the players have done - winning the most games of football in the division and being on the points total that we are – then one of the biggest things I have looked at over the weekend is the fact that we are still building,” said the Blades boss.

“This is a team who were basically chucked together in pre-season. Maybe I need to chill out a little bit and look at it from that point of view. There are a lot of clubs who are a lot deeper into their build, and deeper into transfer windows as well.

“We are trying to integrate players and still win games of football, and we’ve done that really successfully so far this season.”

Wilder oversaw wholesale changes in the January window, with new signings Hamza Choudhury, Ben Brereton Diaz and Tom Cannon all having started in the weekend win over Pompey.

“I wouldn’t have wanted to bring this amount of players in at this stage of a season,” admitted Wilder. “It was never the plan at the start of the season, but it was a needs-must thing after losing Blaster (Oli Arblaster) and (Harry) Souttar.

“So maybe we should expect one or two games like this (Portsmouth). The magic thing about it is we are winning games of football.”