Sheffield United vs Watford – Preview

Sheffield United and Watford will attempt to maintain their unbeaten runs in the Championship as they lock horns at Bramall Lane on Sunday afternoon.

The Blades are coming off the back of a score draw after coming from behind at Norwich City last week. They also suffered a defeat at Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, but they rested several players.

Watford meanwhile had to come from behind to claim all three points against Derby County last time out in the Championship. They too played in the Carabao Cup in midweek and they made it five wins from five competitive matches this season as they defeated Plymouth Argyle with a largely changed team.

Transfer business

The Hornets have made some excellent signings this summer. Some of the standout players they’ve brought in are: Moussa Sissokho, Festy Ebosele and the former Blade Daniel Jebbison.

Jebbison isn’t the only ex Sheffield United man Tom Cleverly has in his squad. Former loanee Yasser Larouci signed on loan earlier this summer and has already had a decent impact for Watford.

They’ve got some players that can play at an electric pace and excel in the transitional phase, and given they travel to Bramall Lane on Sunday, this would play perfectly into Watford’s hands with United’s new style of play.

Team news

Chris Wilder has admitted that Jamie Shackleton is back training with the squad and could be an option off the bench on Sunday afternoon. In addition, Tom Davies could be out for another month as he continues to work on his fitness away from the club.

No new injuries were sustained during the midweek defeat to Barnsley in the Carabao Cup.

The visitors will be without Imran Louza for around a month after suffering a leg injury in midweek against Plymouth Argyle. Former Blade, Daniel Jebbison could be named as a substitute against his old club after joining on loan from Bournemouth late in the week.

Sheffield United’s star player for this match

For this game I’m looking at Gustavo Hamer to have an outstanding game. The midfielder, now playing as an inverted winger, has a brilliant eye for a pass and a shot, and if the game plays out like I expect it to then Hamer’s vision and technique will have plenty of opportunity to exploit gaps on the counter transition. But, the rear guard of the Blades will have to be on point to stop Watford’s press and then quickly get it into their attacking midfielders with accuracy.

Once they do this, they could potentially use Watford’s strengths as a disadvantage as they attempt to run back to cover.

Despite his overall performances being below the lofty standards he has set himself, Hamer has two goals and one assist in three Championship outings and I thoroughly expect him to add to either of those tallies on Sunday afternoon.

Watford’s star player for this match

Edo Kayembe has gotten off to an absolute flyer this season, having some top class performances but also adding some eye-catching goals. The attacking midfielder has three goals thus far from a total expected goals of 0.86 – in other words he’s scoring belters. But it’s not just his shooting which is a danger; he’s averaging 2.3 key passes per game.

Having an energetic box-to-box midfield duo behind him in Moussa Sissokho and Tom Dele-Bashiru is clearly getting the best out of him, so that he isn’t relied upon to have loads of defensive work to do.

In order to compete with the Blades at Bramall Lane, the Hornets’ midfield and number ten’s will have to be on their A-game in order to stand a chance of getting a result, and Kayembe will need to maintain his top form.

My view

Sheffield United have made a steady start to the campaign but they face a major test this Sunday when they welcome Watford to Bramall Lane. Watford have won all five of their competitive matches this season and netted 15 goals, they’ve only conceded three goals whilst keeping three clean sheets.

This will be a great game to watch that is bound to have bags of goals, or at least plenty of opportunities to score. Between them, their opening three league games have seen 19 goals scored.

There’ll be plenty of pace and flair on display for both teams, while the Blades probably have the edge in terms of composure.

My Prediction

I predicted a score draw last week and I have been leaning towards picking the same again this week. However, as of writing this the Blades have kept hold of their star players and kept the midfield intact. And I can see this inspiring the rest of the team. For that reason alone, and the fact United are at home, I am siding with Sheffield United to pick up their second win of the Championship season.

The one thing that would be a worry from a Blades perspective is the fact that Jack Robinson and Harrison Burrows were caught out with a long ball down the channel against QPR. Watford have plenty of pace in their attack to exploit that same issue down the left half of the defence.

This may turn out to be a battle of 4-2-3-1 versus 3-4-2-1 and with the two predicted personnel’s I just think the home side will create too many good chances for their attacking players.