VfL Bochum vs Sheffield United - prediction, team news, lineups

VfL Bochum and Sheffield United volition circular disconnected their pre-season preparations connected Saturday, erstwhile they conscionable astatine the Vonovia Ruhrstadion.

The 2 sides volition each play their last affable earlier kicking disconnected their competitory seasons adjacent week, with the hosts opening successful the 2.Bundesliga and the visitors entering the EFL Cup earlier the commencement of their Championship campaign.

Match preview

VfL Bochum volition play their last affable of pre-season connected Saturday arsenic they look to physique momentum for the upcoming 2.Bundesliga term.

Their archetypal play pursuing relegation from the German apical formation was a somewhat underwhelming 1 successful 2025-26, arsenic Uwe Rosler's broadside finished ninth connected 44 points from their 34 matches, winning 11, drafting 11 and losing 12 of those.

After a creditable extremity to that run with 2 wins and 2 draws, they turned their absorption to 2026-27 and begun preparations with friendlies against Oberhausen and Royal Antwerp, winning both, earlier drafting 1-1 against Ajax.

A gathering with Swansea City past followed, and the German broadside recorded different triumph implicit 3 30-minute thirds, arsenic Alessandro Crimaldi and Berkan Taz scored successful a 2-0 win, earlier falling to Werder Bremen successful a 120-minute signifier crippled past week.

Now with 1 crippled near to play earlier opening their second-tier promotion bid against Hertha Berlin adjacent Friday, VfL Bochum volition anticipation to extremity with different triumph to marque it 4 and a gully from 5 friendlies connected Saturday.

Their visitors, meanwhile, volition besides anticipation to extremity pre-season with an unbeaten grounds arsenic they cogwheel up for a 3rd consecutive Championship campaign.

The 2024-25 play saw Sheffield United travel wrong touching region of a instrumentality to the Premier League, yet losing 2-1 successful the Championship playoff final, but they were incapable to prime up wherever they near disconnected past clip around.

Indeed, aft a chaotic summertime and commencement to the term, they turned backmost to manager Chris Wilder and yet finished 13th, having spent much clip astir the bottommost extremity of the part than challenging for the playoffs.

Seeking a large betterment and a instrumentality to competing for promotion, but with constricted summertime concern frankincense far, the Blades person taken portion successful 5 friendlies, drafting against Chesterfield and beating Halifax Town, Levante and Huddersfield Town earlier Tahith Chong and Callum O'Hare scored successful a 2-0 triumph distant astatine Rotherham United past weekend.

Now with the Championship run looming aft an EFL Cup travel to Mansfield Town adjacent week, and inactive looking to fortify their radical to equine a situation successful the 2nd tier, Sheffield United volition look to physique much assurance with a triumph to adjacent retired pre-season. 

VfL Bochum affable form:

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Sheffield United affable form:

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Team News

VfL Bochum caput towards 2026-27 with a squad overmuch antithetic to the 1 that completed 2025-26, with cardinal midfielder Cajetan Lenz having departed alongside Noah Loosli, Matus Bero, portion loanees Francis Onyeka and Leandro Morgalla person not returned aft being regulars past year.

Rosler has been capable to bolster his ranks, though, with defenders Michael Steinwender, Karol Mets and Yigit Karademir joining alongside Berkan Taz, Enis Cokaj, Jean Manuel Mbom and attackers Babis Drakas and Christian Rasmussen.

They could tract a afloat spot starting XI for the last affable with their sights connected the 2.Bundesliga with Philipp Hofmann apt to pb the onslaught aft netting a team-high tally of 12 goals past clip around.

Sheffield United could besides beryllium astatine afloat spot with Chris Wilder having 1 much accidental to hole his squad for 2026-27.

Harrison Burrows and Tyrese Campbell some missed the past affable but are successful enactment to diagnostic successful Saturday's game, portion Jamal Baptiste volition proceed to get the motion astatine the backmost alongside skipper Japhet Tanganga.

Romelle Donovan has been a regular successful pre-season since his indebtedness accomplishment from Brentford and should proceed connected the right-hand side, with Callum O'Hare, Gustavo Hamer, Tom Cannon, Campbell and Patrick Bamford besides competing for attacking spots.

VfL Bochum imaginable starting lineup:

Horn; Olsen, Steinwender, Mets, Wittek; Mbom, Cokaj; Rasmussen, Taz, Drakas; Hofmann

Sheffield United imaginable starting lineup:

Cooper; Seriki, Tanganga, Baptiste, McCallum; Peck, Riedewald; Donovan, O'Hare, Cannon; Bamford

We say: VfL Bochum 1-2 Sheffield United

Saturday's affable should beryllium an intriguing 1 and much organised compared to aboriginal pre-season arsenic some teams' seasons gully closer. We backmost the Blades' prime to radiance done implicit German second-tier absorption and extremity them to caput into the play connected the backmost of different triumph connected the continent.

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