Sheffield United and West Ham kick off the weekend’s Premier League action at Bramall Lane on Friday night.
David Moyes will be looking to secure a third straight win as Hammers boss, but Chris Wilder’s side will have other ideas. The Blades currently sit eighth on 29 points – two points behind fifth-place Manchester United.
On the other hand, West Ham find themselves down in sixteenth – two points clear of the relegation zone. Still, the Hammers come into this game on the back of two much-needed victories.
A rejuvenated West Ham side thrashed Bournemouth 4-0 on New Year’s Day thanks to a brace from Mark Noble.
Sebastien Haller and Felipe Anderson also got on the scoresheet to cap off a memorable return for Moyes.
🔥 @HallerSeb 🔥 pic.twitter.com/AFZwngWgb6— West Ham United (@WestHam) January 2, 2020
🔥 @HallerSeb 🔥 pic.twitter.com/AFZwngWgb6
In their previous game, goals from Pablo Zabaleta and Pablo Fornals ensured the Hammers avoided an upset against Gillingham to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup.
By contrast, Sheff Utd have lost their last two league games and Wilder’s men are without a top-flight win in three.
However, the Blades weren’t expected to beat Manchester City or Liverpool, so a 2-0 scoreline on both occasions won’t have dampened the squad’s spirits too much.
Last time out, Sheff Utd avoided a late scare to overcome non-league AFC Fylde in the FA Cup thanks to goals from Callum Robinson and Leon Clarke.
Sheff Utd and West Ham played out a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium earlier in the season, while the Blades are unbeaten in their last three meetings with the Hammers.
In fact, West Ham have only won two of their last 13 games against Sheff Utd.
Lys Mousset scored in the draw in October and the Frenchman remains the Blades’ top goalscorer in the Premier League this season with five.
As for West Ham, star striker Haller will be looking to add to his tally of six for the season after netting in the Hammers’ previous league outing.
Chris Wilder has now fresh injury concerns ahead of Friday’s clash. The Blades’ boss is likely to ring the changes after fielding a weakened side in the FA Cup.
Ryan Fredericks, David Martin, Jack Wilshire and Andriy Yarmolenko will all be unavailable for West Ham due to injury.
West Ham have shown signs of improvement under Moyes, but Sheff Utd have been extremely tough to break down this season.
Forebet predicts that the home side will secure a narrow victory. The Blades will also be confident of keeping a clean sheet.