Sheffield United and Everton will be desperate for their first points of the 2023/24 season when they clash at Bramall Lane on Saturday.
The 2023/24 Premier League season resumes this week with Gameweek 4. The latest round of fixtures begins with the game between Luton Town and West Ham United at Kenilworth Road. And the action on Saturday will kick off in South Yorkshire, with Sheffield United hosting Everton at Bramall Lane in the lunchtime match.
Sheffield United and Everton are two of four clubs yet to manage a single point after the first three rounds of fixtures. But while the Blades have managed to find the back of the net twice thus far this term, the Toffees are yet to score a single goal while shipping in six strikes in three outings.
Both clubs have suffered from a lack of investment in their respective first-team squads. And they will likely experience a flurry of activity ahead of Friday’s summer transfer deadline. But a few players might leave, too, with Alex Iwobi among those who might seek greener pastures.
Everton eked out a narrow 1-0 win the last time Sheffield United hosted them at Bramall Lane, back in the 2020/21 season. And The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Sheffield United
Team news ahead of @Everton. 📝
“Lowey and Ben (Osborn) are going to be a while. It’d be a stretch for Oli (McBurnie) to do 90 but he’s in contention to start.
The plan was to give Anis (Slimane) some minutes last night, it doesn’t always go to plan.”@OfficialFPL || #SUFC 🔴 pic.twitter.com/T0NExbMNr5
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) August 31, 2023
Paul Heckingbottom has new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Everton on Saturday, the Sheffield United manager will be bereft of the services of six first-team players.
Max Lowe (ankle) and Ben Osborn (groin) are the latest absentees, with the pairing out for the foreseeable future. The duo has joined Rhys Norrington-Davies (thigh), John Fleck (leg), Rhian Brewster (hamstring), and Daniel Jebbison (illness) on the sidelines.
But new signings Luke Thomas and Cameron Archer will be available to take on Everton on Saturday. Meanwhile, Wes Foderingham will take his spot between the sticks, with Sheffield United lining up in a 3-5-2 formation in front of him.
The central defensive unit will feature Anel Ahmedhodzic, John Egan, and Jack Robinson. The trio has been the first-choice centre-backs and will look to remain compact at the back to cut off the passing lanes. In addition, they will receive defensive support from the two wing-backs.
George Baldock and Yasser Larouci will also have the freedom to express themselves in the final third with their deliveries. And with Everton showing defensive vulnerabilities, their output will hold the key for Sheffield United. As for the midfield unit, Gustavo Hamer, Oliver Norwood, and Vinicius Souza will line up in the middle of the park.
The trio will primarily look to keep things tight in the centre of the pitch. But Hamer and Souza will also aim to initiate quick transitions to catch Everton off-guard. Finally, Archer and Benie Traore should be the two strikers for the home side on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Foderingham; Ahmedhodzic, Egan, Robinson; Baldock, Hamer, Norwood, Souza, Larouci; Traore, Archer
Everton
Like his counterpart in the Sheffield United dugout, Sean Dyche has a new fitness issue to deal with since his side’s most recent Premier League fixture. The Everton manager might be without as many as eight first-team players during his team’s trip to Bramall Lane on Saturday.
Vitaliy Mykolenko is the latest possible absentee, with the Ukrainian full-back picking up a knock in the Carabao Cup clash against Doncaster Rovers. The 24-year-old, along with Dwight McNeil (ankle) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (face), will undergo late fitness tests to determine their availability this weekend.
But Seamus Coleman (knee), Andre Gomes (calf), Dele Alli (hip), Alex Iwobi (thigh), and Jack Harrison (hip) will play no part for Everton against Sheffield United. Meanwhile, Jordan Pickford is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Everton lining up in a 4-4-2 formation with a midfield diamond.
"Dwight McNeil was back with our training group today, so he's another one we'd have to make a decision on." #SHUEVE
Watch live: https://t.co/HL6l3dzTCV pic.twitter.com/9BYFkbrmz4
— Everton (@Everton) August 31, 2023
But the midfield and offensive units will be fluid in the absence of wide attackers. With Harrison, Iwobi, and McNeil on the sidelines and Demarai Gray on the cusp of leaving, Sean Dyche has to make clever decisions will lining up his team.
But the defensive department should not have any surprises, with James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite forming the central defensive partnership. Meanwhile, Nathan Patterson and Ashley Young will likely start as the two full-backs.
As for the midfield unit, Idrissa Gueye, Amadou Onana, Abdoulaye Doucoure, and James Garner are automatic picks. And the quartet will look to create overloads in the middle of the park and overpower the hosts. Finally, Arnaut Danjuma and Beto will be the two strikers, with the former playing behind his fellow summer signing.
Probable Lineup (4-1-2-1-2): Pickford; Patterson, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Young; Gueye; Onana, Doucoure; Garner; Danjuma, Beto
Key Stats
- Sheffield United won their last Premier League meeting with Everton 1-0 in May 2021. They have not won consecutively against the Toffees in the competition since doing the double over them in 1992/93. Meanwhile, having lost their first Premier League away game against Sheffield United 1-0 in December 1992, the Toffees are unbeaten in their last four league visits to Bramall Lane (W2 D2), winning the last two.
- There have been just five goals scored in the five Premier League meetings between Sheffield United (2) and Everton (3) at Bramall Lane, with no side scoring more than once in any of those games.
- The away side has won the last four Premier League meetings between Sheffield United and Everton. Only four fixtures in the competition’s history have seen five consecutive away wins – Leicester City vs Manchester City (1994-2003), Blackburn Rovers v Fulham (2002-2005), Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur (2013-2015) and Crystal Palace vs Liverpool (2015-2017).
- Everton are winless in their last six Premier League away games against promoted sides (D3 L3), having won five in a row before Saturday’s fixture.
- Sheffield United are averaging fewer shots per game than any other Premier League side thus far this season (7) while also facing more than any other side (23.3 per game). However, Everton are yet to score despite averaging 14.3 shots and 1.6 xG per game.
Player to Watch
Beto
Beto could not have asked for a better Everton debut as he came off the bench to kick-start the comeback against Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup second round. And after being a prolific striker in Serie A, he will be raring to go in the Premier League.
Everton desperately needed a striker to become a talismanic figure in the final third. And they might have struck gold in Beto, with the Portuguese international being an imposing figure who is also mobile. Expect the 25-year-old to have another memorable debut, this time in the English top flight.
Prediction
Sheffield United 1-1 Everton
With neither team managing a single point so far, Saturday’s encounter might be an early relegation six-pointer for Sheffield United and Everton. But Sean Dyche’s men have an abysmal recent away record, having won just two of their last 22 Premier League games on the road (D10 L10).
However, the Toffees are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games in Yorkshire (W5 D3) since a 2-0 loss at Hull City in January 2015. Meanwhile, Dyche has won just one of his five meetings with Sheffield United in all competitions (D2 L2), ending up on the losing side on both of his visits to Bramall Lane (0-3 in November 2019, 0-1 in May 2021).
As for the home side, the Blades have managed two goals thus far and showed some positive signs against Manchester City last weekend. But their defensive frailties might bring Everton into the game. So, there might not be much to separate the two teams. And The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw at Bramall Lane.
