On Sunday afternoon, the Premier League’s bottom club host a team with the European places in their sights.
Struggling Sheffield United welcome upwardly mobile West Ham United to Bramall Lane, and we have analyzed the key statistics and trends to predict the outcome.
A cracking equaliser for Mousset against the Hammers in 2019! 💥👇 pic.twitter.com/D7TmrTdT23— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) January 19, 2024
A cracking equaliser for Mousset against the Hammers in 2019! 💥👇 pic.twitter.com/D7TmrTdT23
This is the Blades’ first match since January 6, meaning they have enjoyed a two-week break after thrashing Gillingham 4-0 in the FA Cup.
In the Premier League, however, Sheff Utd have taken a solitary point from their last four outings, winning only one of their previous nine encounters.
Having managed to win just two of their 20 league games this season – suffering 15 defeats – Chris Wilder’s side find themselves three points adrift and six points from safety.
It is also worth noting that Sheff Utd possess the worst offensive record and the worst defensive record in the division, giving them a dismal goal difference of -34.
As for West Ham, they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Championship side Bristol City in the FA Cup on Tuesday, bowing out of the competition in the third round.
That said, the Hammers have kept a clean sheet in each of their previous four Premier League games, underlining the team’s defensive improvements in recent times.
David Moyes’ men secured shutout victories over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester United and Arsenal before drawing 0-0 with Brighton & Hove Albion on January 2.
Better still, West Ham have lost just one of their last nine league outings, moving to within six points of the Champions League places as a result.
Head-to-head: Thanks to a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in September, West Ham have won each of their last three Premier League meetings with Sheff Utd.
It is also worth pointing out that West Ham have kept three consecutive clean sheets against the Blades, matching their recent defensive efforts.
Team news: Chris Basham, Max Lowe, John Egan and Tom Davies are all injured for the hosts, while Yasser Larouci and Anis Ben Slimane are at the Africa Cup of Nations.
West Ham’s injury list contains Lucas Paqueta, Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Fornals, while Nayef Aguerd and Mohammed Kudus are on AFCON duty.
If West Ham’s recent defensive numbers are anything to go by, there is a high probability that Moyes’ men will keep a fifth successive shutout in the league.
Forebet’s algorithm predicts that West Ham will score over 2.5 goals and keep a clean sheet on their way to dispatching Sheffield United.