Manchester United host Sheffield United on Wednesday night at Old Trafford with the Premier League title coming into sight.
The Red Devils begin matchday 20 in first place, two points above both Manchester City and Leicester City. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team could trail both of those clubs when kicking off on Wednesday night; however, as Manchester City and Leicester City play on Tuesday.
Let's keep this momentum going ✊#MUFC #MUNSHU pic.twitter.com/7YmzlQe9Yr— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 26, 2021
Let's keep this momentum going ✊#MUFC #MUNSHU pic.twitter.com/7YmzlQe9Yr
Standing in Manchester United’s way of remaining at the top of the table are Sheffield United. The Blades are bottom of the Premier League table. Chris Wilder’s team are 12 points from safety which is an unlikely total to overturn at the moment.
Sheffield United did win at the weekend in the FA Cup fourth round against Plymouth Argyle. The victory could give the squad some confidence going into the game at Old Trafford.
Manchester United are also coming off of an FA Cup fourth round win versus Liverpool, 3-2. The Red Devils are getting the best of their rivals in all competitions following their shock exit from the Champions League back in December at the hands of RB Leipzig.
The Red Devils are on a six-match unbeaten run in the league with four of those games finishing in wins. They conceded just four times, but worryingly tallied just eight goals. The good news is that Manchester United are playing well defensively.
Sheffield United took just four points from their last 18 on offer. Goals continue to be an issue for the Blades as only three goals were tallied in their last six matches. They only gave up eight goals in defence, but the attack just hasn’t been good enough for Sheffield United this term.
Solskjaer could be without forward Marcus Rashford. He underwent a scan on his knee on Monday and is listed as a doubt to play. Solskjaer could rest the forward against the league’s last place team.
Manchester United have difficult fixtures against Arsenal, Southampton, and Everton in the coming weeks. Therefore, Solskjaer could rotate the team to face Sheffield United.
Rotation won’t hurt Manchester United’s chances of a win. They should have no issue winning at home versus the dull Blades.
The last three league matches between Manchester United and Sheffield United saw over 2.5 goals scored. The Red Devils scored 3.0 goals in each of those games. Wednesday night’s match should see Manchester United win easily with another 3.0 goals being scored by the team.
The win will keep Manchester United in first place as everyone else plays catch up. Solskjaer may not have the best squad in the league, but they are winning matches.