Sheffield United are set to travel south to take on Bournemouth in this Saturday’s Premier League clash at the Vitality Stadium.
After suffering a crushing 6-0 defeat against Arsenal on Monday, Sheffield United aim to bounce back from a disappointing performance. Meanwhile, Bournemouth recently ended their winless streak with a convincing 2-0 victory over Burnley, signaling their intent to continue their positive momentum.
Following their first hard-fought Premier League victory in 2024, Andoni Iraola’s next goal is to break Bournemouth’s three-match winless streak at the Vitality Stadium. The Cherries have remained unbeaten in seven consecutive games against newly promoted teams since their return to the top flight in 2022.
Sheffield United’s Premier League campaign has been challenging, with 20 losses in 27 matches, placing them at the bottom of the division based on goal difference. They currently trail 17th place by 11 points with 11 matches remaining.
Chris Wilder’s appointment, taking over from Paul Heckingbottom, was intended to rejuvenate Sheffield United’s season, but the results haven’t met expectations. Despite earning eight of their 13 points since Wilder’s return, they’ve suffered nine losses, including three significant defeats at home.
In their recent outing, they endured another painful home defeat, losing 6-0 to Arsenal. Their previous away game resulted in a 1-0 loss to Wolves, but United arguably deserved a point from that visit.
Team news
For the hosts, Max Aarons, Tyler Adams, Ryan Fredericks, James Hill and Marcos Senesi remain on the sidelines for Saturday’s clash. LLoyd Kelly and Ryan Christie are questionable.
The Blades have had a ridiculous number of injuries this season which certainly hasn’t helped their cause. Per Wilder, on SUTV, John Egan, Max Lowe, Chris Basham, Daniel Jebbison, Rhys Norrington-Davies, Cameron Archer, Anis Ben Slimane, Rhian Brewster have been ruled out for the trip to Bournemouth. Meanwhile Mason Holgate won’t be involved as he serves the last of his three game suspsension – the defender has been featuring for the development squad since his red card against Brighton.
Difference makers
In the reverse fixture, Bournemouth completely wiped the floor with the Blades and the 3-1 score line was probably quite deceiving.
Marcus Tavernier was the star of the show that afternoon grabbing two goals. The Cherries’ winger posed a threat all game with his direct running and technical ability. Tavernier finished the game with three key passes and five shots on target. The winger has already racked up four assists in the league.
Sheffield United’s eleven could look different after Chris Wilder hinted that he may hand more games to youngsters as he’s been far from pleased with a number of senior players.
You’d have to imagine James McAtee will keep his place in the side. With Bournemouth being quite expansive with their full-backs perhaps the on loan Manchester City man can take advantage from turnovers and catch Milos Kerkez off guard.
Stats
In the last three league encounters, Bournemouth have emerged victorious twice against Sheffield United, with one draw, a notable improvement compared to their first 16 meetings where they managed only one win.
Conversely, Sheffield United have only suffered one loss in their nine previous league visits to Bournemouth, winning five times and drawing three. However, their most recent visit ended in defeat, as they lost 2-1 in the Championship back in October 2021.
In their 27 Premier League matches this season, Sheffield United have conceded 72 goals, surpassing any other team in England’s top four divisions at this stage of a season since Doncaster Rovers in 1997/98 in the fourth tier, who conceded 73 goals.
