Man Utd v Sheffield Utd – Match Preview

Manchester United host Sheffield United on Wednesday evening, the hosts looking to continue their unbeaten run against the Premier League’s bottom side.

Here’s all you need to know about the clash at Old Trafford.

Form

Manchester United: WWDWW

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side looked really below par earlier on this season, yet 19 games into the current campaign and they are currently two points clear at the top of the table, albeit having played a game more than second-placed Manchester City.

Manchester United come into the game on the back of coming from behind to knock Liverpool out of the FA Cup, in their last league outing they also came from behind to claim three points against Fulham.

Despite their decidedly shaky start to the season – particularly at home – the Red Devils are now 13 games unbeaten in the Premier League, with their last defeat coming against Arsenal back on November 1. Meanwhile, their win at Fulham also set a new club record after going 17 away games without defeat, a run stretching back to their loss at Anfield in January 2020.

As for team news, Solskjaer should have a relatively full complement of players to choose from, with only Brandon Williams and Phil Jones currently confirmed on the sidelines. United are waiting on the results on a scan on Marcus Rashford after he was removed following pain in his knee during the FA Cup win over Liverpool.

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Sheffield United: LWWLW

Sheffield United will have hoped they’d turned a corner when they picked up their first league win in 20 games at home to Newcastle, yet they were brought crashing back down to earth following their 3-1 home defeat to Tottenham last weekend.

While they were a solid outfit last season, the Blades have developed something of a leaky defence this time out, which, combined with their league-low goalscoring tally of just 10 goals helped cement their place firmly at the bottom of the table.

Chris Wilder’s men currently have just five points from their opening 19 games, leaving them 12 points behind Brighton in 17th and with a very real danger of becoming the worst team in Premier League history.

That title is currently held by the Derby County side of 2007/08, who picked up just one win all season and managed to only muster 11 points from their 38 games.

While Wilder’s men have plenty of time to avoid that fate, at the minute it looks unlikely that they’ll be able to turn this wretched run of form around, while club-record signing Rhian Brewster is yet to score for the club after his high profile move from Liverpool in the summer.

As for injuries, Wilder remains without long-term absentee Jack O’Connell, while midfielder Sander Berge continues his rehabilitation from the injury picked up in the defeat to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’sside in December.

Last Meeting

Sheffield United 2-3 Manchester United, 17 December 2020

The two sides met last month at Bramall Lane, in what was a hugely entertaining affair between two sides at opposite ends of the table.

The visitors lined up with former Blades stopper Dean Henderson in goal and the 23-year-old was quickly in the thick of things, the England international’s error allowing David McGoldrick in to score.

Like pretty much every away day for Solskjaer’s side this season, they reacted well to going behind and were soon level, Marcus Rashford latching onto a fine Victor Lindelof pass before firing home past Aaron Ramsdale. The Blades ‘keeper was then at fault for the second after failing to deal with a ball into the box, an error that allowed Anthony Martial to give his side the lead midway through the first-half.

The game looked pretty much over when Rashford rounded off a superb sweeping move from the away side, although a late McGoldrick header made it an interesting last few minutes, with the Red Devils reliant on a late Henderson save to spare their blushes.

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