Norwich City will be looking to build on their impressive victory over Leicester when they face Sheffield United at Bramall Lane in the Premier League on Saturday.
However, while the Canaries are battling to avoid relegation, Sheff Utd have genuine ambitions of finishing inside the European places come the end of the season.
The Blades have only suffered one defeat in their previous nine games in all competitions and come into this match on the back of an extra-time win over Championship outfit Reading in the FA Cup.
Billy Sharp scored the winner in the 106th minute to send his side through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 2013/14. But manager Chris Wilder must now turn his attention to pushing up the Premier League table.
Sheff Utd are currently 8th in the top-flight standings but are only two points behind fifth-place Manchester United. The Blades also have a game in hand over the teams above them.
Wilder’s men don’t score too many goals, but their defensive record is outstanding this season. Only league leaders Liverpool have conceded fewer goals than Sheff Utd in 2019/20.
By contrast, bottom club Norwich have the second-worst defensive record in the division. The Canaries are four points adrift at the foot of the table and six points from safety.
But Daniel Farke’s side come into this game on the back of two massive results. After seeing off Leicester last weekend, Norwich got the better of Tottenham in an FA Cup penalty shootout in midweek.
Norwich’s players will have seen the FA Cup success as a welcome break from the Premier League, but the Canaries must continue to perform at the top of their game in order to avoid relegation.
Sheff Utd and Norwich were both promoted from the Championship last season but are both enjoying contrasting campaigns this time around. The Blades were unbeaten against the Canaries last season and also claimed a 2-1 victory back in December.
Enda Stevens is expected to return for Sheff Utd this weekend after missing the game against Reading in midweek. Other than that, Chris Wilder has no injury concerns.
On the other hand, Norwich could have as many as eight first-team players sidelined for the trip to Bramall Lane, with Timm Klose, Sam Byram, Christoph Zimmermann, and Onel Hernandez all ruled out.
Norwich have lost by two or more goals in seven of their last 14 away games and that trend looks set to continue.
Forebet predicts that Sheffield United will score over 1.5 goals on their way to victory, while the Blades’ defensive record points towards a clean sheet for the home side.