Sheffield United will be desperate for all three points when they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Bramall Lane on Saturday.
Premier League football resumes this weekend with Gameweek 10 of the 2023/24 season. The latest round of fixtures will get underway at Craven Cottage with the game between Fulham and Manchester United. The action will then continue with five simultaneous games, one of which will see Sheffield United welcoming Wolverhampton Wanderers to Bramall Lane.
Sheffield United came into the 2023/24 season as one of the favourites to go down to the EFL Championship. The Blades lost their best player, with Iliman Ndiaye moving to France. And after barely making any impressive signings in the summer, very few expected them to make a splash this term.
Paul Heckingbottom’s charges have not proven their naysayers wrong, with Sheffield United sitting at rock bottom in the Premier League. They have managed only one point in ten games thus far and might soon be on their way down in England’s club football tier. As for Wolverhampton Wanderers, they could not have had a worse preparation for the new campaign.
Julen Lopetegui parted ways with the Midlands outfit before the season even began, with Gary O’Neil replacing him. The former Bournemouth boss has done a decent job at the Molineux, guiding them to three wins in ten outings thus far. One of those victories came over Manchester City, while they held Newcastle United to a 2-2 draw last weekend. The two results should be a shot in the arm for the visitors.
Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Sheffield United 3-0 in the most recent clash featuring the teams, which came in the FA Cup third round. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Sheffield United
Squad updates from the Boss! 👇
"George (Baldock) has had a few more days training and Ozzy. Will Osula and Max Lowe aren't ready but they're not far away, which is good." pic.twitter.com/sM9nJDYgAT
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) November 2, 2023
Paul Heckingbottom does not have any new fitness concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Sheffield United manager will be bereft of the services of nine first-team players against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Chris Basham (broken leg), John Egan (Achilles), Max Lowe (ankle), Anel Ahmedhodzic (hamstring), Rhys Norrington-Davies (thigh), Tom Davies (thigh), Oli McBurnie (groin), William Osula (muscle) and Daniel Jebbison (illness) are all in the treatment room.
The fitness issues in the defensive unit have forced Heckingbottom to change his preferred system. Meanwhile, Sheffield United will line up in a 4-3-2-1 formation against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Wes Foderingham taking his spot between the sticks.
George Baldock will hope to return to the starting eleven after appearing off the bench against Arsenal last weekend. But Jayden Bogle should retain his spot in the backline, with Luke Thomas being the other full-back. Meanwhile, Auston Trusty and Jack Robinson are automatic picks at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, the trifecta of Vinicius Souza, Oliver Norwood, and Anis Ben Slimane will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park. The trio’s presence might allow the three attackers — James McAtee, Gustavo Hamer, and Cameron Archer — to express themselves better.
Probable Lineup (4-3-2-1): Foderingham; Bogle, Trusty, Robinson, Thomas; Souza, Norwood, Slimane; McAtee, Hamer; Archer
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Unlike his counterpart in the Sheffield United dugout, Gary O’Neil has a new issue to deal with ahead of the trip to Bramall Lane. The Wolverhampton Wanderers manager will be without four first-team players on Saturday.
Pedro Neto is the latest absentee, with the Portuguese international sustaining a hamstring injury last weekend against Newcastle United. Neto has joined Hugo Bueno (thigh), Joe Hodge (shoulder), and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (muscle injury) on the sidelines.
Getting set for Saturday.
😁💪
— Wolves (@Wolves) November 3, 2023
Jose Sa will take his spot between the sticks, with Wolverhampton Wanderers lining up in a 3-4-3 formation in front of him. Max Kilman, Craig Dawson and Toti Gomes will form the central defensive unit for the away side.
As for the midfield department, Mario Lemina and Boubacar Traore will form a defensive-minded pairing. The duo’s presence in the middle of the park will allow the full-backs — Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri — to express themselves better. Finally, Matheus Cunha, Sasa Kalajdzic, and Hwang Hee-chan will be the three attackers for the visitors on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Sa; Kilman, Dawson, Toti; Semedo, Traore, Lemina, Ait-Nouri; Cunha, Kalajdzic, Hwang
Key Stats
- Sheffield United have lost three of their last five home league meetings with Wolverhampton Wanderers, as many defeats as in the previous 22 meetings at Bramall Lane (W10 D9). The visitors are vying to win three consecutive league fixtures against the Blades for the first time since a run of four between 1954 and 1955.
- With one point from 10 games and a goal difference of minus 22, Sheffield United have made the worst-ever start by a Premier League team. The Blades are the fourth club in English top-flight history with one point or fewer from their opening ten fixtures. The other three — Manchester United in 1930, West Bromwich Albion in 1985 and the Blades themselves in 2020 — all ended the season bottom.
- Wolverhampton Wanderers have only lost one of their last 14 Premier League away fixtures against newly-promoted opposition, though that was a 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United in July 2020 when John Egan headed a 93rd-minute winner.
- Sheffield United have conceded 10 Premier League goals in the final 15 minutes of matches this season, with five of their nine defeats due to goals scored in that period.
- Wolverhampton Wanderers are unbeaten in five league matches. They have not gone longer without a top-flight defeat since an eight-game run between February and June 2020.
Player to Watch
Hwang Hee-chan
The burden of additional responsibility can go one of two ways with footballers. They can either crumble under the weight of expectations or embrace it and rise to the occasion. Hwang Hee-chan falls in the latter category at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The South Korean international has come into his own since the departure of Raul Gimenez. The Mexican striker’s exit has put the onus on him to score the bulk of goals. And Hwang has responded well, finding the back of the net six times in the Premier League.
The 27-year-old will have even more responsibilities on his shoulders after Pedro Neto picked up a hamstring injury. And Wolverhampton Wanderers will not be in troubled waters if Hwang stamps his authority even in Neto’s absence. Saturday’s game will be a good indication of whether that can happen.
Prediction
Sheffield United 0-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
The game at Bramall Lane will be an opportunity for Sheffield United to get their first win of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign. While Wolverhampton Wanderers have been top-notch in the last few weeks, they have a soft underbelly due to a vulnerable backline.
But the Blades have been goal-shy thus far this season, and they might not find a way past Jose Sa. Expect Wolverhampton Wanderers to keep a rare clean sheet and Hwang Hee-chan to continue his fine run of form. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 victory for Gary O’Neil and his charges, with the pressure mounting on Paul Heckingbottom.