Chelsea welcome Sheffield United to Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon as both sides look to improve their position in the Premier League table.
With 16 matches in the books, the Blues find themselves 12th in the standings, having managed to win just five of their league encounters this season.
A special goal from a special player! James McAtee. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/JUJJIwZTCs— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) December 9, 2023
A special goal from a special player! James McAtee. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/JUJJIwZTCs
As for the Blades, they remain at the foot of the table – 11 points behind Chelsea – despite securing a much-needed victory over Brentford last time out.
Chelsea head into Saturday’s clash on the back of a 2-0 defeat to Everton, who saw just 27% possession while Mauricio Pochettino’s men racked up 16 shots.
The Blues have now lost three of their last four matches, with a solitary victory coming in their previous five Premier League outings.
To make matters worse for Chelsea, they have managed to win just two of their last 15 league games at Stamford Bridge, underlining their struggles on home soil.
That said, Pochettino’s men have scored over 1.5 goals in four of their previous five home matches across all competitions, averaging 2.2 goals per game in that time.
Sheffield United, meanwhile, claimed a 1-0 victory over Brentford last weekend, courtesy of a memorable long-range strike from James McAtee.
Returning manager Chris Wilder was unable to prevent a 2-0 loss against Liverpool in his first game back, but he swiftly steadied the ship at Bramall Lane.
Still, there is no hiding the fact that Sheff Utd have won just two of their 16 Premier League outings this season, recording two draws and 12 losses along the way.
It is also worth remembering that the Blades have the worst offensive record and the worst defensive record in the division, giving them an ugly goal difference of -29.
Head-to-head: Chelsea have won each of their last three meetings with Sheffield United, scoring eight goals in the process.
Across all competitions, the Blades have only managed to win one of their previous seven encounters with the Blues, conceding over 1.5 goals on six occasions.
Team news: Chelsea are still without Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell, Trevoh Chalobah, Lesley Ugochukwu, Carney Chukwuemeka and Reece James due to injury.
Sheff Utd have multiple injury absentees of their own, including Chris Basham, Rhys Norrington-Davis, John Egan, Tom Davies, Rhian Brewster and George Baldock.
Although Chelsea endured a difficult run of late, especially at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino’s men shouldn’t struggle to overcome the league’s bottom side.
Forebet predicts that Chelsea will score over 2.5 goals and keep a clean sheet on their way to dispatching Sheffield United.