Sheffield United will host Brighton & Hove Albion at Bramall Lane on Sunday to build on the win over Luton Town with another positive performance at home.
Sheffield United, who face Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend, are at the bottom of the league table, and they ended their winless streak with a win over Luton Town in their last league game.
The Blades will be reasonably confident heading into this game, especially with the way Brighton have been playing in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Brighton are ninth in the league table, but they have picked up just two wins from the last six league matches.
They have been quite disappointing in their last few outings and are coming into this game on the back of a defeat against Tottenham. Brighton will need to bounce back strongly if they want to finish in the top half this season, and it remains to be seen who comes out on top here.
Sheffield United have an impressive head-to-head record against Brighton, and they have lost just one of their last six meetings against the Seagulls. It will be interesting to see if they can pull off another morale-boosting result here.
Team News & Tactics
Sheffield United
The home team are without Chris Basham, John Egan, and George Baldock due to injuries. Chris Wilder will set up his side in a 5-4-1 formation, with Wes Foderingham in goal.
Jayden Bogle and Max Lowe will start as the wing-backs, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. At the heart of the defence, Mason Holgate will start alongside Anel Ahmedhodzic and Jack Robinson.
In the middle of the park, Vinicius Souza will start alongside Gustavo Hamer. The two players will look to provide defensive cover to the side and win the ball back for their team.
James McAtee and Ben Osborn will be deployed as the wingers here. They will look to help out during counter-attacks and provide width and creativity to the side. Finally, Cameron Archer will lead the line for Sheffield United against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Probable Lineup (5-4-1): Foderingham; Bogle, Holgate, Ahmedhodzic, Robinson, Lowe; McAtee, Souza, Hamer, Osborn; Archer
Brighton & Hove Albion
The away side will be without Joao Pedro, Solly March, Julio Enciso, and James Milner because of injuries. They are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Bart Verbruggen in goal.
Tariq Lamptey and Pervis Estupinan will be deployed in the wide areas, and they will look to keep things compact at the back and help out during counter-attacks. Jan Paul van Hecke will form the central defensive partnership alongside Lewis Dunk.
In the midfield pivot, Pascal Gross will start alongside Billy Gilmour. They will look to add control and defensive cover from the deep. Ansu Fati will be deployed in the central attacking midfield role.
He will look to link up with striker Danny Welbeck and create goalscoring opportunities in the final third. Kaoru Mitoma and Facundo Buonanotte will be deployed as the wingers. They will look to add pace and trickery from the wide areas.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Lamptey, Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan; Gross, Gilmour; Bounanotte, Fati, Mitoma; Welbeck
Key Stats
- Sheffield United are unbeaten in their past seven league clashes with Brighton & Hove Albion, winning four and drawing three.
- The Seagulls are winless in all five Premier League meetings, drawing three and losing two.
- Sheffield United have let in 60 Premier League goals this term, the most by a top-flight side at this stage of a season.
- Brighton have gone six Premier League away games without a victory.
- Brighton have won just five of their 18 Premier League away games against promoted sides.
Player to Watch
Kaoru Mitoma
The 26-year-old Japanese winger has three goals and four assists in 14 Premier League starts this season, and Brighton will look to him to breakdown the Sheffield United defence. The Japanese international can cause all sorts of problems for a vulnerable Sheffield United backline with his pace, flair and agility.
Brighton & Hove Albion will need him to step up if they want to win the game. Mitoma is coming into this game on the back of an impressive performance against Tottenham Hotspur, and he will look to get on the scoresheet here.
Prediction
Sheffield United 1-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Both teams will be desperate for a win here for very different reasons. Sheffield United need to pick up three points to boost their survival hopes, and Brighton & Hove Albion will look to get out of their slump quickly.
This is likely to be an evenly-matched contest, and it will not be a surprise if the two teams end up cancelling each other out. A draw seems quite likely and the two sides will share the spoils here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 stalemate between Sheffield United and Brighton & Hove Albion.