Sheffield United and Aston Villa meet for the first time since both sides were promoted from the Championship last season. The two clubs have enjoyed contrasting top-flight success so far, but it’s set to be a tight game at Bramall Lane on Saturday.
The Blades have adapted to the Premier League seamlessly. Chris Wilder’s men are currently eighth in the table – one point behind Tottenham Hotspur and two behind fifth-place Manchester United.
After conceding just 16 goals, only the division’s top two teams – Liverpool and Leicester City – have a better defensive record than Sheff Utd.
With that being said, the Blades have relied heavily on their defence to keep them in the top half of the table. With only 19 goals to their name, just seven teams have scored fewer goals than Wilder’s side.
On the other hand, Aston Villa have netted 23 times this season, but their tally of 28 conceded has left them in seventeenth. Villa are hanging just outside the relegation zone on goal difference.
Following a comfortable 2-0 victory over Newcastle, Dean Smith’s side have failed to win any of their last three games. A 2-2 draw with Man Utd was followed by defeats to Chelsea and Leicester.
Villa's club captain Jack Grealish has undoubtedly been the team’s standout performer this season. The 24-year-old has scored four and assisted two in his last seven league appearances – keeping Villa out of the bottom three.
As for Sheffield United, Lys Mousset has kept the Blades ticking over in attack. The Frenchman has four goals and three assists in his previous eight league outings.
Despite keeping a settled defence, Wilder does like to rotate his forward line. Strikers David McGoldrick, Oliver McBurnie and Billy Sharp have all been given opportunities up front this season.
Mousset picked up a knock in Sheff Utd’s 2-1 victory over Norwich in their previous game, but he is expected to feature this weekend. The club has no other injury worries.
Villa will be hoping that Tyrone Mings makes a speedy recovery after suffering a hamstring injury last time out against Leicester. Fellow defender Matt Targett could also miss out.
Sheff Utd and Villa shared two high-scoring matches last season. The Blades claimed a memorable 4-1 victory at Bramall Lane, before a dramatic 3-3 draw in the reverse fixture at Villa Park.
Given the unpredictability of the two sides at the moment, we’re set for another thrilling encounter this time around.
Forebet predicts that both teams will score over 1.5 goals. However, Sheff Utd are expected to come away with the points.