'Without a shadow of a doubt..' - Championship manager makes Aston Villa and Leeds United comparison

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder believes that the Blades' next opponents Leeds United are of a similar stature to European Cup winners Aston Villa.

The two Yorkshire sides meet at Elland Road in the EFL Championship on Friday (October 17) as the two battle it out for promotion. Wilder's men are second but would have been top had it not been for a two-point deduction.

A big crowd is expected as the two promotion rivals go head-to-head, but in the build-up to the match, the stature of the two clubs have been discussed. Wilder, who won promotion to the Premier League with the Blades, believes that his current club are not on the same level as Leeds, who he has likened to the Villains.

“I think in the world of football, people who know football and understand and have that love of it will recognise that Leeds United are a top six club, without a shadow of a doubt," said Wilder to Leeds Live.

“They are an Aston Villa, they are up there for me, because of the history, the support, what they have achieved, what they have won, the players who have played for them, everything.”

In the present day, Villa are competing in the UEFA Champions League, and recently claimed a win over German giants Bayern Munich. Villa Park has average attendances of 41,455, with Leeds on 36,495.

In terms of major honours won, Villa have won 25 trophies, making them the seventh most successful club in English football. Leeds United have nine major honours, putting them in 14th.

He added: "We are not a top six club in English football and I'm not being disrespectful to Sheffield United, we are not.

“Our history, if you go right the way through our history from 1889 and where we have finished in league positions and taking into account what we have won and the players who have played for us and what we've done and where we've been, we are not a top six club.

"We'd like to be a top 20 club and we'd like to take it as high as we can, of course, but we are at that early stage of that with the team we are putting together and how we are going about it.”