Chelsea vs Sheffield United
Date: 31/08/2019
K/O: 15:00
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Referee: Stuart Attwell
Sheffield United visit Stamford Bridge for their Saturday afternoon clash which a few years back would have seemed like a one-sided affair favouring the Blues but the current scenario suggests it will be far from that.
Having started off the season with a disappointing 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester United, Frank Lampard’s blue army have followed that up with a feisty 1-1 draw with Leicester and a 3-2 victory at Carrow Road. The win against Norwich, in particular, was a big morale booster for the entire team as they were finally able to put the chances they were creating in the back of the net. A brace from Tammy Abraham and a wonderful strike from Mason Mount were enough to hand them their first 3 points of the season.
Chris Wilder’s men, on the other hand, have also had a mixed bag of results. A 1-1 draw against Bournemouth on opening day was followed by a solid 1-0 victory against Crystal Palace. More recently though, the Blades, fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Leicester City. The newly-promoted side will still be happy with their start and will be looking to make it a difficult encounter for Chelsea.
Despite being new boys, Chris Wilder has shown no signs of backing down and sets up his team with an intent to shut out his opponent before launching counter-attacks with his revolutionary overlapping centre backs. The Blades look like a solid defensive unit with the likes of Jack O’Connell and Chris Basham marshalling the troops at the back. Dean Henderson, the young goalkeeping starlet on loan from big boys Manchester United, has also seemed to carry his sensational form from the Championship last season.
Frank Lampard will be wary of Wilder’s men but would definitely be hoping for his first 3 points at the Bridge. There were a lot of positive takeaways from the 3-2 victory against Norwich last time out. Tammy Abraham stepped up and showed signs of being the number 9 Chelsea fans have been praying for since the goal-scoring heroics of Diego Costa. Mason Mount, once again, proved why he is one of the most talked-about young players in England. On the other hand, the defensive frailties of Chelsea’s backline were exposed yet again by the likes of Teemu Pukki and Todd Cantwell.
The Blades haven’t defeated Chelsea since a 1-0 Premier League victory in November 1993. The last time the 2 met in the league was in 2007 when the Blues came out on top with a comprehensive 3-0 win thanks to goals from Shevchenko, Kalou and Michael Ballack. Chelsea fans and Frank Lampard will be optimistic going into this tie and will be hoping for their 2nd victory on the bounce.
Team News
N’Golo Kante (ankle) and Pedro (hamstring) will both be assessed before the encounter but it is likely that the pair will not be risked before the upcoming international break next week. Antonio Rudiger has been playing with the U-23s to build match fitness after a lengthy knee injury and could definitely be in line to get his first start of the season unless Lampard doesn’t want to risk him just yet.
Mason Mount picked up a slight knock at the end of the last game but Lampard seems optimistic that the in-form midfielder will be fit for the Saturday afternoon clash. Other than this, long term absentees Reece James, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi are still on the recovery trail. Hudson Odoi seems to be training well and is in line to be the first to return after the international break out of all the long term absentees.
The Blades will most likely be unchanged from their last match apart from a minor injury to John Fleck who already seems to be on the comeback trail. Kean Bryan suffered a knock in their Carabao Cup tie against Blackburn Rovers and will not be available.
Predicted Starting XIs
Chelsea (4-3-3): Kepa; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Zouma, Emerson; Jorginho, Kovacic, Barkley; Pulisic, Abraham, Mount.
Sheffield United (3-5-2): Henderson; Basham, Egan, O’Connell; Baldock, Lundtsram, Norwood, Freeman, Stevens; McGoldrick, Robinson.
Match Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Sheffield United
Lampard’s men will be high on confidence after a good attacking showing last time out and their front 3 might just prove to be too much for the Blades to handle, though the visitors will not be easy to break down and could nick a goal on the counter.
