Bottom-placed Sheffield United are all set to hit the road to square up against 15th-placed Crystal Palace.
Both Sheffield United and Crystal Palace are fighting for survival in the English top flight, and they are all set to go up against each other in search of three important points. While the Eagles do have a much better chance of avoiding relegation, the Blades will have to put together a run of incredible results to avoid the drop.
Crystal Palace are currently 15th in the Premier League having accumulated 21 points out of their 21 matches. They have come out on top on five occasions and played out a draw six times to sit five points clear of the drop zone but they still need to do a lot to avoid relegation.
The Eagles have only won one out of their last five league games. If they don’t get their act together and start winning games things will be difficult. They are heading into this one on the back of a 5-0 thrashing against Arsenal and haven’t won since the start of the new year. As a result, a lot needs to be taken care of before they take the field.
As far as the Blades are concerned, they are currently bottom of the points table with 10 points out of their 21 matches. They have only won two matches all season long and have played out four draws. Sheffield have already suffered 15 defeats this season and they can’t really afford to lose many from here on if they want to survive in the Premier League.
The visitors haven’t won any of their last five league outings. They are heading into this one on the back of a 5-2 defeat at the hands of Brighton in the FA Cup. While they did create quite a few chances, they were not good enough to come out on top. Sheffield need to put together a run of great results and they can surely start with this fixture against the Eagles.
The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Crystal Palace
Roy Hodgson will be without the services of Michael Olise, Rob Holding, Cheick Doucourse and Joel Ward. Meanwhile, they do have a boost as Jordan Ayew has returned from international duty and is ready to get going.
The home team will go ahead with the 4-4-2 formation, where Dean Henderson will feature in goal. Nathaniel Clyne and Tyrick Mitchell will be the two full-backs. They will look to join the attack but their primary focus will be on helping out their centre-back pairing of Joachim Andersen and Marc Guehi.
Eberechi Eze and Jeffrey Schlupp will start out wide on the flanks. The duo will provide width to their attack as well as cover to the full-backs. Jefferson Lerma will feature alongside Chris Richards in the centre of the park. The duo will look to dictate the pace of the game.
As far as the attack is concerned, Odsonne Edouard, who has recently returned from injury, will start alongside Jean-Philippe Mateta to lead the line for Crystal Palace against Sheffield United on Tuesday.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Henderson; Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Eze, Richards, Lerma, Schlupp; Edouard, Mateta
Sheffield United
The visitors will be without the services of John Egan and Chris Basham. Meanwhile, Rhian Brewster is serving a three-match suspension. Sheffield United do have a boost as Yasser Larouci and Anis Ben Slimane are both back from International duty.
They will go ahead with the 4-5-1 formation. where Wes Foderingham will be in goal. Jayden Bogle and Auston Trusty will be the two full-backs. They will feature alongside the centre-back duo of Anel Ahmedhodzic and Jack Robinson.
Ben Brereton Diaz and James McAtee will provide width to their attack. They will look to stretch the opposition defence and create spaces for their teammates to run into.
In the centre of the park, Ben Osborn will start alongside Vinicius Souza and Gustavo Hamer. The trio will look to ensure they have more of the ball and end up creating more chances for their forwards. Finally, William Osula will be leading the line for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (4-5-1): Foderingham; Bogle, Ahmedhodzic, Robinson, Trusty; McAtee, Osborn, Souza, Hamer, Brereton Diaz; Osula
Key Stats
- Crystal Palace have won 24 out of the last 58 meetings against Sheffield United.
- The visitors have the worst defensive record in the league having already conceded 51 goals. (21 games)
- The Eagles are on a three-game winning streak against the Blades. They last lost to Sheffield back in February 2020.
- The Blades are the only team that has yet to win an away game this season. They have only picked up two points on the road.
- Palace have only won one out of their last 10 league games.
Player to Watch
Ben Brereton Diaz
Diaz recently completed his loan move from Villarreal to Sheffield United at the start of the month. He has only had 67 minutes of Premier League action since arriving in England and already has a goal to show for it.
The Blades have struggled since the start of the season, and they needed reinforcements in attack. They seem to have added a quality forward who will give them more firepower and hopefully help them survive in the English top flight. And, their manager will hope he comes good against Crystal Palace.
Prediction
Crystal Palace 1-2 Sheffield United
The Eagles will be favourites to come out on top in this fixture. They have the better players and their form might not be the best in the league but it is surely better than Sheffield United. As a result, one would expect them to get the job done.
But, it is going to be a closely fought encounter and the Blades will have their chances. If they manage to convert their chances, they can surely come out on top. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the visitors against all odds.