Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has said he is expecting a "rollercoaster Championship season".
The Blades, who were beaten 3-2 at Portsmouth with 10 men on Wednesday, have won three, drawn three and lost four of their Championship matches this season.
They travel to Bristol City on Saturday, two points and three places below the 12th-placed Robins.
"I think that maybe it's going to be one of those seasons for us and quite a lot of teams, sort of a rollercoaster Championship season where you get your ups and downs and it's how you recover," he told BBC Radio Sheffield.
"Not just for Sheffield United but for three quarters of the clubs that are trying to get into the top 10, the top eight. I should imagine Bristol City will be one of those clubs."
He added: "Have we got as many points as we thought we should have got? No, but that's down to me and down to the players.
"If we had won last night [at Portsmouth] we would have jumped up four or five places going into another away game.
"We have to be focused on our performances and hopefully the results will come."
The Blades will be without midfielder Hamza Choudhury at Ashton Gate after his red card for two bookings at Pompey.
Striker Ryan One will come back into the matchday squad after missing out on Wednesday but full-back Matt Doughty (knee) has been ruled out for up to three weeks.