Sheffield United vs Norwich City
Date: 07/03/2020
Venue: Bramall Lane
K/O: 15:00
Referee: Simon Hooper
Newly promoted sides Sheffield United and Norwich City lock horns on Saturday as the Canaries stage their fight for survival in the Premier League.
Sheffield United will be disappointed with last week’s performance after taking the lead in the first half. Enda Stevens scored a thunderbolt, drilling his shot into the top left corner giving the Blades the lead after 26 minutes. Wilder will be frustrated with his team’s display after they squandered an early lead with Brighton equalising only six minutes later from a set-piece.
Norwich on the other hand will be delighted with the way that they performed and will hope for a similar performance on Saturday. The Canaries went toe-to-toe with Brendan Rogers’ Leicester side and snatched a late winner in the 70th minute, securing their first win in five games. Jamal Lewis provided the goal, with a superb strike from outside the box.
The Blades have slipped from fifth to eighth in the Premier League as of late and the dream of European football continues to fade. But this week offers a great chance to get points on the board, as Manchester United have a tricky game against Manchester City and given that Sheffield United have a game in hand – this weekend could prove to be pivotal for their bid for European football.
Norwich have had a rough season and only won their fifth game of the season last week against Leicester. The Canaries are four points behind Villa – who have a game in hand – and a further six points behind Bournemouth who they are level on games with. So, relegation does seem much more likely than not and it would take a miracle to see them escape the drop. But it’s no secret that Norwich have a talented squad and last week’s upset could prove to be a turning point in their season.
The Blades haven’t got the easiest fixtures on the horizon and face four out of the seven teams above them before the end of the season. Meanwhile, their next two games are against Norwich and Newcastle – so two very winnable games and Wilder will be focusing on the games at hand rather than looking too far ahead.
Coming into the final stages of the season, Norwich have some favourable fixtures to look forward too. Out of the remaining ten games, the Canaries play only three of the top six teams – meaning there are seven winnable games left.
This week poses a different challenge for Norwich; the Blades are difficult to break down defensively and will capitalise on any mistakes made by their opponents. Mistakes have been a common theme for Norwich and are one of the many reasons they are in their current position. If they want to stage any kind of relegation comeback then they need to eradicate mistakes from their game – especially against the Blades this weekend.
Team News
Sheffield United
Chris Wilder’s side is mostly injury free for this weekend’s clash against Norwich. Wilder’s main concern will be Enda Stevens who picked up a calf injury last week against Brighton and was substituted at half time. Stevens scored the Blades only goal last week so Wilder will be hoping he can recover in time for this weekend. The likelihood is that Egan will come into the side and cover for Stevens.
Elsewhere, Sheffield United have no other injury concerns and once again Wilder’s main decision will be who to start in attack. David McGoldrick hasn’t started for the last five games, so it seems he has dropped down the pecking order whilst Lys Mousset has also been short of game time recently, only making substitute appearances. Billy Sharp and Oliver McBurnie started the last game together, so it’ll be most likely that they start upfront together this weekend.
Norwich City
Daniel Farke has had less luck with injuries this season and has a few absentees for this weekend. In defence, Farke could be without Christoph Zimmermann who hasn’t started the last two games because of a hamstring injury. Sam Byram has a serious hamstring injury and won’t be available for selection for some time.
In midfield, Alexander Tettey faces a race against time to recover from an illness, but it is likely he will be available. Onel Hernández is also not ready for selection and won’t be until May due to a knee injury. Teemu Pukki has also had an illness but he should be ready for this weekend. Pukki has started every league game apart from one so far this season.
Predicted Starting XIs
Sheffield United (3-5-2): Henderson; Basham, Egan, O’Connell; Baldock, Berge, Norwood, Fleck, Stevens; McBurnie, Sharp
Norwich City (4-2-3-1): Krul; Aarons, Hanley, Godfrey, Lewis; Tettey, Kenny Mclean; Buendía, Duda, Cantwell; Pukki
Score Prediction: Sheffield United 2-0 Norwich City
The Blades have been formidable this season and proven to be a tough opponent. Both defensively and offensively they cause teams issues and Norwich have been struggling in both departments. I think the Canaries will give it a good go and test their former Championship opposition, but I think at Bramall Lane the Blades will be too good.
