High-flying Sheffield United welcome relegation strugglers Bournemouth to Bramall Lane on Sunday, with just four Premier League games taking place this weekend.
The Blades are sitting pretty in sixth after suffering just one defeat in their previous four league games. Chris Wilder’s side lost to Manchester City a fortnight ago before bouncing back with victory over Crystal Palace.
Sheff Utd continue to exceed all expectations in their first season back in the top flight. Only Liverpool have a better defensive record than Wilder’s men in the division, proving that they’re extremely well organised and tough to break down.
There are only five points separating Sheff Utd and fourth-place Chelsea, so the Blades will be quietly confident of extending their stay at the top end of the table.
However, with Manchester United and Wolves hot on their heels, a couple of poor results could see Sheff Utd quickly slip down the standings.
On the other hand, Bournemouth are not where they want to be right now. But consecutive victories over fellow relegation candidates Brighton and Aston Villa have given the Cherries fresh hope.
Eddie Howe’s side had only found one win in 12 league games before beating Brighton, leaving them stuck in the relegation zone. But back-to-back wins mean the Cherries are now sixteenth – two points clear of the bottom three.
With that being said, Bournemouth have only managed to win one of the last 10 away games in all competitions and this doesn’t bode well for their trip to Bramall Lane.
There have only been 17 meetings between Sheff Utd and Bournemouth over the years and their most recent encounter ended in a 1-1 draw back in August.
The Cherries have only managed to beat the Blades once, while Sheff Utd are unbeaten in their last nine meetings (eight wins and one draw).
Chris Wilder has no fresh injury worries heading into this game, so new signing Sander Berge is expected to feature in Sheff Utd’s starting line-up after impressing on his debut.
Bournemouth will be without Jefferson Lerma as the midfielder serves a suspension. Key forward Joshua King could return after missing last weekend’s clash against Aston Villa.
There have been under 2.5 goals in five of Sheff Utd’s last six home games and that trend looks set to continue on Sunday.
Forebet predicts that the Blades will secure a low-scoring victory while keeping a clean sheet.