Sheffield United may have experienced a revamp in the summer, but their squad still looks capable of being competitive at the top end of the Championship, despite a takeover for the club stalling.

Despite the changes at Bramall Lane, pre-season results have offered some encouragement, with four wins against lower-league opponents followed by a draw against Huddersfield. This is a solid, if not spectacular, sign that the Blades are ready for the new season. If nothing else, it will have built some confidence and embedded a habit of not losing games.

Preston showed at the end of last term that they struggle against the better teams at this level and lost a good deal of momentum from that. Tweaks have been made in the summer, but the squad does not look a good deal stronger than it did.

History does not favour the home side in this encounter as they have failed to win their opening game in any of the last five seasons while they have also failed to win any of their last six against the Blades.

Chris Wilder’s side have shown in pre-season that they want to play with more width to their team by switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation, which suggests they should see a sizeable corner count this season. Previously, they typically used a 3-5-2 with a focus on defending. Look for them to get on the front foot in this game.

Only three Championship sides failed to pick up at least 4.5 corners per game on average last season, while the Blades secured 3.71 of these situations even as they were being brutally outplayed in the Premier League. With a setup more geared to winning corners, this number should jump significantly at this lower level.

Preston might have been the second-poorest team at winning such situations in the Championship last season (4.17 per 90), but they conceded a significant 5.2 per 90. At the end of the season, the Lilywhites went on a run of five successive games conceding five corners or more.

Expect to see cards in this game, with Preston picking up 2.39 per match in the Championship last season and Sheffield United earning 2.79 per game in the Premier League.

Referee Bobby Madley, meanwhile, averaged 5.0 cards per match in the Championship last season, dishing out six in each of the two North End games he oversaw.

The opening day of the season is often a time for referees to lay down the law by taking a strict approach, and this could particularly be the case in a televised encounter. An example of this came last season when Madley showed eight yellow cards as Sheffield Wednesday lost to Southampton on the opening weekend of the season. He would never show as many cards again in any match he oversaw throughout the remainder of the campaign.

Since coming back to refereeing in England in 2020, Madley has averaged 6.33 cards shown on the opening day of the season, never going below five. It would be surprising if this trend ended given the disciplinary record of these clubs last term.

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has changed the club’s approach in pre-season, wanting his team to play an up-tempo pressing game that is designed to put their opponents under pressure and much of the game to be played in the attacking third, with the wingers heavily involved. It is a style that is likely to see the Blades’ corner count jump.

Preston were the second-poorest team in the Championship when it came to winning corners last season, with only Rotherham United picking up fewer. There is little evidence that manager Ryan Lowe is going to change the way they play significantly, suggesting they will again fare poorly in this regard.

The Lilywhites conceded, on average, 1.03 more corners per game last season than their opponents when playing in the Championship.

With the Blades set to be on the front foot, their price of 1.83 looks too big for a head-to-head bet on the corner count.

Sheffield United’s big summer signing is expected to shake off a knock to play a sizeable role in this game and is coming off a very encouraging loan spell with Ipswich in the Championship, during which he scored seven goals in 18 matches.

Preston struggled to cope with the Wales international when they last welcomed him to Deepdale. Although the Lilywhites claimed a 3-2 victory on the day, Moore came off the bench for his Ipswich debut at half-time and found the net twice to set up a nervy finish for the hosts. It will be a scar that has not entirely healed.

Moore also netted for Cardiff against Preston in his previous fixture against this opponent, though that was back in 2021. Nevertheless, this will reinforce his positive mindset when facing this opponent.

With the Blades seeking to play more down the flanks and get crosses into the box, it should be a style that suits the 32-year-old well. His career record in the Championship shows he has 54 goals in 173 appearances – one strike every 216 minutes.

Only Stoke City received more yellow cards than Preston in the Championship last season, while the Lilywhites picked up a total of 110 cards (109 yellow, one red). This equated to a 2.39 per 90.

After finishing last season on a low, North End will want to show their supporters a commitment to turning the situation around. This is likely to result in an overzealous approach and some mistimed challenges, particularly with their opponents playing a new pressing style that will require them to be on their toes at every moment.

Preston saw at least three cards in their last three home matches of 2023/24, picking up a total of 10 yellows across these games.

Referee Bobby Madley showed 5.0 cards per game in the Championship last season, including six in each of the Preston matches he was involved in, suggesting a high card count. The Lilywhites received seven cards, including one red, in these games alone.