Sheffield United at Villa Park and what is possible

We've not kicked a ball and we're already better than last season, currently 12th and we could go above Spurs if we win tonight. And they would have played twice as many games as us. A big if there but you have to go into believing it's possible. Tonight is about what is possible.

And it is, possible I mean. Football isn't rocket science, it's 90 minutes of battle with a good plan and everyone working together. The plan part though should have multiple layers and it has many factors that a player has to be aware of and remember. But that is what training is for and again, it's not rocket science.

If we play tonight like we know we can, we stand a very good chance, we really do. But it all comes down to that plan and the attitude.

I'll be back in plenty of time for tonight, I think it's going to be very interesting and I expect the team to go out like we know they can. I don't expect them to go out to not lose or even score one and hope it's good enough. It's going to be fun.

I'll be back with team news when it's announced and as I am working from home tomorrow, I might even have a beer or two to help stoke the optimism and maybe even dull the pain.

Match facts from the BBC

Head-to-head

• Sheffield United's most recent away league victory in this fixture was back in January 1966, although they did win at Villa as recently as January 2014 in the FA Cup.
• The Blades have gone four league games without defeat against Aston Villa, home and away.

Aston Villa

• Villa ended last season with successive home victories. They haven't managed three Premier League wins in a row at Villa Park since a four-match streak in October 2007.
• The Villans have only earned one point from their past five opening home games of a Premier League season since beating Blackburn in 2011.
• They are winless in eight Premier League games in the month of September since beating Liverpool at Anfield in 2014 (D2, L6).
• New signing Ollie Watkins scored 26 goals for Brentford in 2019-20 - a joint high with Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic in the top four English divisions, including the play-offs.

Sheffield United

• The Blades haven't started a top-flight campaign with two consecutive defeats since 1973-74.
• Sheffield United have lost four successive league games. They haven't fared worse since a run of six defeats in League One from August to September 2013.
• Wilder's side are winless in six away league games since beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in February, only managing two points and two goals.
• Sheffield United have only won their opening league away match in two of the past 30 seasons: 2-1 at Burnley in the 2005-06 Championship and 2-0 versus Oldham in the 2011-12 League One.