Summer signing Darius Henderson will hope to win his Sheffield United debut against Birmingham on Saturday as James Beattie is out.Keith Gillespie is also out due to a badly sprained ankle picked up in last month's friendly against Bury, but summer loan arrivals Greg Halford and Matthew Spring could gain their competitive debuts in the Championship curtain-raiser.
Gary Speed and Michael Tonge look likely to start in central midfield with David Cotterill out wide on the right. That means Stephen Quinn, Spring, Nick Montgomery and Lee Hendrie are all vying for one starting place.
Boss Kevin Blackwell goes into the game against a Blues side backed for a quick return to the Premier League, calling on his players to entertain the Blades faithful throughout the campaign.
He told the Sheffield Star: "I want people to be excited about coming to watch us play.
"Winning is the most important thing but, whenever possible, I want us to do it in a certain manner too.
"We've got a tremendous crowd here and I know they'll turn out in force for us again.
"People pay good money to come and watch us and they deserve to get something in return for spending their hard-earned cash.
"Yes, there will be times when we have to grind something out, to really roll-up our sleeves and give everything for the cause, but, in the main, I want us to impose ourselves on the opposition, not the other way around."
