Sheffield United vs West Ham
Date: 10/01/2020
K/O: 20:00
Venue: Bramall Lane
Referee: Michael Oliver
TV: Sky Sports Main Event
David Moyes will look continue his unbeaten run on Friday night as he looks to resurrect the Hammers dismal season.
Sheffield United have now lost two games on the bounce in the form of Manchester City and Liverpool away. Arguably two of the toughest teams in Europe have taken the spring out of Chris Wilder’s side, but this Friday’s clash provides a great opportunity for them to bounce back against a West Ham side who have looked woeful all season.
Last time out the Blades were brushed aside by the Reds, who won convincingly at Anfield and extended their reign at the top of the Premier League to 13 points. The Blades were nowhere near the top of their game though and Liverpool were far superior in all departments. Sheffield United looked to be tired from the start and their previous game against City, only 48 hours earlier, would have seriously depleted their energy levels. All in all, after winning their FA Cup tie against Flyde on Sunday, United should be back with full energy ready for the challenge of West Ham on Friday evening.
Last time out, the David Moyes reign got off to the perfect start as his side swept past Bournemouth to win 4-0. Two goals from Mark Noble, as well as strikes from Haller and Anderson, meant that the Hammers had their third win in 10 games. Moyes will be looking for his side to take the same desire as last week to Bramall Lane, where they’ll need to perform at their best to get anything against the Blades.
Sheffield United have won both of their Premier League home games against West Ham, winning 3-0 in April 2007 and 3-2 March 1994, so Chirs Wilder will be eager to continue this. Interestingly, playing at home is where the Blades need to improve this season as, from their six defeats, four of these have come at home. It could be a case of United playing more openly at home, which is leading them to be more defensively exposed; whilst on their travels, they have looked hard to break down and only lost their first away game two weeks ago.
It’s no secret that the Hammers have had a horrible season so far. The East London club sit in 16th place after 20 league games and are only one point above the bottom three. Last week aside, recent performances haven’t been enough for a Premier League side, and they have started to drop dangerously close to relegation.
David Moyes does provide a wealth of experience in keeping sides up and is the right man to help the Hammers avoid relegation. But after this Friday’s clash with the Blades, Moyes will face three tough battles; Everton (H), Leicester (A) and Liverpool (H) and these games could affect his plans to escape relegation.
Team News
Sheffield United
Chris Wilder will be pleased that his first-team haven’t been affected by injuries during the busy Christmas spell. Michael Verrips is the only absentee, as he picked up concussion and will miss the visit of West Ham United.
Simon Moore had a groin issue but has since returned to training, meaning he could be back among the substitutes after a month out. The Sheffield United boss didn’t have to make any major changes to his first-choice defence or midfield over the Christmas fixtures and it seems likely that Phil Jagielka, Mo Besic, Luke Freeman, Ben Osborn, Ravel Morrison and new signing Jack Rodwell will be on the bench after starts in the FA Cup last weekend.
Wilder’s main selection dilemma comes in attack. Lys Mousset and David McGoldrick have been the most used partnership since the beginning of the season, but Oli McBurnie did also get a rest for the win over Fylde.
West Ham
David Moyes hasn’t been quite as fortunate with injuries as Wilder and confirmed on Thursday that Michail Antonio (hamstring), Jack Wilshere (groin) and Andriy Yarmolenko (thigh) are all unavailable for the trip to Sheffield United.
Ryan Fredericks is also sidelined after picking up a hamstring injury that keeps him out for six weeks with Pablo Zabaleta the most likely replacement for him. Aaron Cresswell and Mark Noble didn’t feature in the FA Cup third round and weren’t mentioned by Moyes in the press conference, so it seems both players are fit to play. If not, Arthur Masuaku could fill in at left-back and Robert Snodgrass may slide into midfield alongside Declan Rice to help cover.
Pablo Fornals, Felipe Anderson and Sebastien Haller look likely to start in attack, so Manuel Lanzini will have to settle for a place on the bench.
Predicted Starting XIs
Sheffield United (3-5-2): Henderson; Basham, Egan, O’Connell; Baldock, Lundstram, Norwood, Fleck, Stevens; Mousset, McGoldrick
West Ham (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Zabaleta, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Noble, Rice; Snodgrass, Felipe Anderson, Fornals; Haller
Score Prediction: Sheffield United 1-2 West Ham
The Blades have been excellent so far under Wilder, but I fear their last two defeats may have put them on a downward slope. The game is at home, where the Blades have been the poorest all season, so it could pose a chance for a desperate Hammers side, in need of points, to snatch an away victory. I think the West Ham squad is packed with talent and if Moyes gets his team going, then they could become a force to be reckoned with.
