Recent Sheffield United developments offer Sheffield Wednesday hope ahead of huge November clash | OneFootball

Sheffield United's recent decline in form will encourage Sheffield Wednesday ahead of the Steel City derby next week.

It has been a much-improved few weeks for Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship.

Wednesday endured a disappointing start to the season as they lost three of their first four league games, and many feared that another relegation battle could be on the cards.

However, the Owls have lost just two of their last eight league games, and they produced another impressive away comeback in the 2-1 win over Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Friday night, with Josh Windass' close-range finish and Michael Smith's stunning strike sealing all three points after Connor Ogilvie had given Pompey the lead in the first half.

While Wednesday suffered disappointment as they were knocked out of the EFL Cup on penalties by Brentford following a 1-1 draw at the Gtech Community Stadium on Tuesday night, they can take plenty of confidence from the fact they were able to take a strong Premier League side to spot-kicks, despite fielding a much-changed team.

The Owls currently sit 13th in the Championship table, and while they are only four points clear of the relegation zone, they are also only four points from the play-off places.

It is a busy week ahead for Wednesday with back-to-back home games against Watford and Norwich City, but attention will no doubt already be turning to next Sunday's Steel City derby against Sheffield United.

The Owls have not met their local rivals for over five years, so tension and excitement is starting to build ahead of the game at Bramall Lane, and Rohl's men may be feeling a little more optimistic about the clash than they were a few weeks ago.

Sheffield United form should be encouraging for Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield United were relegated from the Premier League last season after a dismal campaign that saw them accumulate just 16 points, but manager Chris Wilder oversaw a big rebuild during the summer.

Despite operating against a backdrop of significant takeover uncertainty, Wilder was able to bring in some impressive signings, including the likes of Michael Cooper, Harry Souttar, Callum O'Hare, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Kieffer Moore, and he has assembled one of the strongest squads in the Championship.

The Blades made an impressive start to life back in the second tier, winning six and drawing three of their first nine league games as they emerged as serious automatic promotion contenders.

While United have not been prolific scorers, their early season success was built on an incredibly strong defensive foundation, with Wilder's men conceding just three goals in their opening nine games, which included a remarkable run of six consecutive clean sheets.

Wilder was deservedly named the Championship Manager of the Month for September, but his side's form in October has raised some question marks about their promotion credentials.

The Blades were comfortably beaten 2-0 by Leeds United at Elland Road in the first game back after the international break, and just five days later, they produced another underwhelming performance as they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.

United returned to winning ways with a 2-0 home victory over Stoke City on Saturday, and had they not been given a two-point deduction, they would currently be sitting second in the table, so they remain in an excellent position, but they do not look quite as invincible as they did earlier in the season, which is good news for Wednesday.

Sheffield Wednesday must be confident ahead of Steel City derby

While United's recent form will offer Wednesday encouragement ahead of the Steel City derby, they should also take confidence from their own improvement away from home in recent weeks.

The Owls lost their first three away games of the season against Sunderland, Millwall and Luton Town, but they are now unbeaten in their last three matches on the road, picking up seven points from those fixtures.

Wednesday did not win a single game after conceding the first goal away from home last season, but they have come from behind to win their last two away games against Coventry City and Portsmouth, underlining the improving mentality that Rohl is beginning to instill in his squad.

Of course, it will be a much tougher test against a Blades side that are yet to lose on their own patch this season, but it seems that away games no longer carry the same fear factor they once did for the Owls.

Wednesday have not lost at Bramall Lane since September 2009, and the last three meetings at United's ground have ended in draws, but they have also not recorded a victory over their bitter rivals since February 2012, so they will be looking to change that statistic next weekend.

However, the Owls must remain focused with important games against Watford and Norwich over the coming week, and those fixtures offer them a chance to close the gap to the play-off places and build further momentum ahead of the hotly-anticipated derby.