Chris Wilder set to resume friendly battle with Daniel Farke when Sheffield United face Norwich
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How can Chris Wilder and Daniel Farke get on so well away from the touchline?
On it, they have some brilliant running battles that are sometimes as entertaining as anything going on on the field. It was sparked in the Championship, when Wilder took exception to Norwich's timekeeping and how he was 'waved off', in his own words, when he was sent to the stands.
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Hide AdAnd no doubt it will continue on Saturday. But only, according to Wilder, because both want to win badly - albeit for different reasons. United are chasing European football while Norwich's ambition is to survive.
Away from matchdays, the two get on very well and the mutual respect between managers and clubs is evident. Wilder sent Farke a text message when Norwich sealed promotion last season, and the German responded in kind when United joined them in the Premier League.
The two have often met up at Premier League meetings and functions and Wilder spoke this morning in his pre-match press conference of his respect for Farke and City. Any manager, he said, would struggle with the amount of injuries City have had to contend with this season; this, he added, will be as tough a test as any United face between now and the end of the season.
"There's 30 points to play for," Wilder said, "and they're capable of taking them off anyone."
Just not, he hopes, United...
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