Sheffield United vs Sunderland. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats and more

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Sheffield United will host Sunderland in the 4th tour of the EFL Championship at the Bramall Lane. The fixture will take place on August 17, beginning at 00:15 IST.

The UEFA Champions League this week will embark on the final, decisive round of qualification. But all the football events of the day don’t end there. England has something interesting for us – it’s the midweek fixture where Sheffield Utd will clash with legendary Sunderland. A Foggy Albion classic. The Black Cats are very positive for this season and want to consolidate at the top of the table, but will they be allowed to do so by one of the favourites for the promotion?

Parimatchnews will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

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Sheffield United News & Current Form: 

Since the 16/17 season, Sheffield United seem to have undergone a qualitative metamorphosis moving to the next level. If the Blades had been League One regulars since the early 2010s, under Chris Wilder they have enjoyed a decent cycle, first reaching the Championship, then earning a promotion at the second attempt, and then staying in the English Premier League for as many as two seasons. 

But like in any cycle, a decline phase was inevitable. After the 20/21 season, it was obvious that something had to change, as the Black and Reds were simply shocking the fans with their terrible play. Paul Heckingbottom came in to try his hand.

With him, the club had a rather unstable start in the Championship, but as the season progressed, the Blades finally positively surprised fans – they finally managed to get things going and start to play at a very different level.  The Blades even had a chance to clinch a promotion opportunity, but Nottingham Forest stopped them in the semi-finals.

Of course, there were hopes that they would be able to improve in the new draw. But as of now, the pace of points scoring is definitely no match for the champions. When Sheffield United were beaten 1-0 by Watford in their opening game, there was no need to upset, knowing that one of the toughest games on the calendar is already behind them. Nevertheless, the Blades needed to respond in the following matches, which they did: four points in games against Millwall (2-0) and Middlesbrough (2-2). In between those matches, though, there was a 0-1 cup exit against West Bromwich

Sheffield United now face a home game against vulnerable Sunderland and leaders Blackburn Rovers, and there is a chance to move up the standings quickly. Although the goalscoring problem is currently unresolved, Heckingbottom believes his players just need a little time to get a feel for their game and get into a rhythm – from a purely visual perspective, the Blades have everything they need to fight for the top of the table – they play good football.

Something of concern is the injury situation, which also prevents them from reaching their full potential. Two strikers at once will miss the game against the Black Cats, prolific scorer Billy Sharp and Oliver McBurnie. In addition, Jack O’Connell and Jayden Bogle are also out. Centre-back O’Connell, who has been out for over 3 months due to knee surgery, is supposed to be replaced by the Blades’ only serious transfer so far – Anel Ahmedhodzic.

Sunderland News & Current Form:

Sunderland have a rich history, the club was founded 141 years ago and can boast six First Division titles, although the Black Cats have been at their best too long ago. The last trophy they took back was a 1973 FA Cup.

In recent history things have been a little different: after 10 seasons in the EPL the club has fallen into a deep crisis for a variety of reasons, it all led to the club dropping down to third-tier League One. At one point it seemed that The Rokerites would slowly fade into the dustbin of history and will hang around in the lower divisions, but everything changed with the arrival of new owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, who was only 23 years old when he bought the club. 

Despite this age and the seeming greenness, we have seen a decidedly positive turnaround since then. The new owner, despite his impressive wealth (mostly generated by his parents), did not start to spend unreasonably, but instead began to change the club’s internal processes, such as dealing with contracts, taking a course on the more intensive development of youngsters and their integration into the main team. The staff of the club, the coaches, etc. started to be picked more thoroughly. Of course, the young owner desires to invest, but he is approaching the issue of development very deeply, first of all, a solid foundation is needed, and it seems that something like that has already been achieved.

In February, for example, the Scotsman Alex Neal was brought in. The 41-year-old managed to stabilize the team and produce an immediate 11-match winning streak, which allowed Sunderland to qualify for the playoffs and win the long-awaited promotion to the Championship.

Alex Neal aims to be the one who will revive the 'Fallen giant'

Alex Neal aims to be the one who will revive the ‘Fallen giant’

Apparently, the once great Roker Men are going to continue this trend and fulfil their main objective of recent years – to return to the EPL. The new campaign got off to a good start, 1-1 at home to Coventry and 3-2 at Bristol City. But it was followed by a disappointing Carabao Cup game with Sheffield Wednesday and a 0-2 defeat there. The impression was that they simply had to get rid of this, an extra workload – and perhaps this is the right tactic as there is no chance for a club of this calibre to seriously contend for the cup, the intensity of the Championship is too tough and it is better to save manage the energy wisely. After that, we saw a positive encounter at the Stadium of Light against QPR, the Black Cats were dominating the whole match leading 2-0 up to the 87th minute, but the visitors pulled off an unreal comeback (the second goal coming from keeper Seni Dienga in the closing minutes) to end the match 2-2. 

Although the Scot will try to find a silver lining, he knows that his players, especially in the defensive areas, need to show more character if they want to be considered playoff contenders this season. There is a ton of work to be done.

Sheffield United form guide: L-W-L-D

Sunderland form guide: D-W-L-D

Sheffield United vs Sunderland Head-To-Head Record: 

Sheffield UnitedDrawSunderland
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The clubs had already played in the Championship in 2017 and Sheffield United were stronger in both games. But Sunderland secured a rematch in the cup clash in the autumn of 2019 winning 1-0 on the road.

Sheffield United vs Sunderland Predicted XI:

Sheffield United possible starting lineup (3-4-2-1): Foderingham; Ahmedhodzic, Egan, Norrington-Davies; Baldock, Norwood, Doyle, Lowe; Berge; Ndiaye; Brewster. 

Sunderland possible starting lineup (3-4-1-2): Patterson; O’Nien, Batth, Cirkin; Gooch, Neil, Evans, Clarke; Pritchard; Stewart, Simms.

Statistical prediction of the match Sheffield United vs Sunderland:

  • All of Sunderland’s matches saw an exchange of goals. 
  • Sheffield United have conceded goals in 3 of their last 4 matches in all competitions.
  • Sheffield United have won 3 of their last 4 matches at home.
  • Sheffield United have not lost in 15 of the last 17 Championship home games.
  • Sheffield United have scored less than 2.5 goals in each of their last 5 Championship home games.

What has been said before the match:

Paul Heckingbottom, the Sheffield United gaffer:

“They look to be in as good a place as they have been for a while. They play with excitement and energy that tends to come with a team that has been promoted which makes them dangerous. We have to be ready for that. I like that type of challenge and I think our players do as well. I think it makes for if they come with the same attitude and way of playing at the start of the first three games it will make for a really good game tomorrow night”

“He [Neil] has done well. What he brings is promotion-winning experience, he got it in his CV, he’s done it before. He’s clear in how he wants them to play and he got them over the line through the playoffs. Looks like they have the clear idea of how they want to play and they have tried to recruit players to play that style of football. My take on them is that they are trying to approach it with no fear.”

Alex Neil, the Sunderland gaffer:

“This will be our biggest test so far, without a doubt. They’re in a position different to us in terms of their recent drop from the Premier League, their parachute payments and the fact they reached the Play-Off semi-finals last year. They’re a very good team – you look at Sander Berge, John Fleck, Oliver Norwood – that midfield finished ninth in the Premier League.

“They have a lot of strength all over the pitch and plenty of depth as well, so we know it’s going to be a tough game – we know we have to be at our best.”

Sheffield United vs Sunderland Town Prediction:

Sunderland has had a very fresh start to the season and the team has a very combative attitude. And understandably, the Black Cats have nothing to lose, they are not afraid of anything and just play their football. And so far it’s working out, 6 goals scored in three rounds is the best performance in the Championship.

But the newcomers shouldn’t feel overconfident as they face a very tough Sheffield United side on Bramall Lane, albeit slightly weakened by injuries. A team with one of the most expensive squads in the league have already found their game and definitely know what to do to neutralise defiant opponents and pick up three points. Sunderland will try to put up a decent fight, but we believe the Blades will be more convincing to win.

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Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: both teams to score and Sheffield United to win – Yes.

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