Sheff Utdvs.Burnley

Only four points separate the two strugglers in the business end of the Premier League season, although Chris Wilder's men still boast a match in hand and have revenge on their mind following December's events.

Match preview

Hard-earned points against Bournemouth, Fulham and Chelsea may have delayed Sheffield United's demotion from the top flight, but Saturday's hosts are still the overwhelming favourites for a swift Championship return after last weekend's painful Brentford experience.

Oliver Arblaster - the teenage midfielder who has otherwise been a shining light for the Blades - inadvertently diverted Mikkel Damsgaard's delivery into his own net just past the hour mark, before Frank Onyeka's strike from a sublime Kevin Schade assist ensured maximum points for the Bees.

While Sheffield United boss Wilder felt that little could separate the two sides throughout the 90, the 56-year-old lamented his side's lack of cutting edge in key moments as the Blades set another piece of unwanted Premier League history; 84 goals conceded at this stage of the season is the most since the competition's inception in 1992.

Now 10 points adrift of safety thanks to Nottingham Forest's draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers, the Blades will remain rooted to the foot of the division even if they come up trumps in Saturday's cellar contest, which precedes two daunting trips to Manchester United and Newcastle United.

Tottenham Hotspur also lie in wait for Sheffield United on the final weekend, so three points on Saturday is paramount if the Blades are to mount a miraculous escape, but conceding multiple goals in their last seven Premier League home games suggests that such hopes may be far-fetched.

As Vincent Kompany took his seat on the naughty step for Burnley's visit of Brighton, where he served a touchline ban, assistant manager Craig Bellamy temporarily took the reins and comically made most of the post-match headlines by denying the existence of rainbows, seemingly an unintentional mishap in the heat of the moment.

One could forgive the Clarets coach for his head being a bit frazzled, as Saturday's visitors threw away two points in farcical circumstances against the Seagulls; five minutes after Josh Brownhill's opener, Arijanet Muric allowed Sander Berge's backpass to roll underneath his studs and into the back of the net.

The stone-faced Muric was left to bemoan his second fatal error in as many matches - Everton's 1-0 triumph over Burnley came after his clearance was closed down by Dominic Calvert-Lewin - and Kompany's men now sit six points below the safety of 17th place after the goalkeeper's bizarre blunders.

However, that aforementioned beating at the hands of the Toffees represents the only loss that Burnley have been condemned to in their last six matches, although it is now 24 points dropped from winning positions in the 2023-24 Premier League for the Clarets, second only to Brentford's 30.

Kompany's troops are also still waiting for their first clean sheet of 2024, although they kept a shut-out with minimal difficulty during December's Turf Moor showdown with Sheffield United, whose humiliating 5-0 Lancashire lashing hammered the final nail in Paul Heckingbottom's coffin.

Sheffield United Premier League form:

L

D

D

L

D

L

Burnley Premier League form:

D

W

D

D

L

D

Team News

Wilder was not only left dejected for scoreline reasons last week, as defender Jayden Bogle had to come off in the second half with an ankle injury, and the Blades boss has admitted that he will require a "huge slice of luck" to be involved on Saturday.

Jack Robinson - absent from the loss to Brentford entirely - is in the exact same boat with his own ankle concern, but Daniel Jebbison (illness), Rhian Brewster (hamstring), Tom Davies (thigh), George Baldock (calf), John Egan (ankle), Chris Basham (ankle), Rhys Norrington-Davies (hamstring) and Max Lowe (ankle) are all absent.

With Baldock and Bogle out, 18-year-old Sam Curtis is the only natural fit on the right-hand side for the Blades, but Ben Osborn could be shifted across to the wide role instead, allowing Vinicius Souza to return to the midfield pack.

As well as the return of Kompany to the Burnley touchline, the Clarets can also welcome a current defender - Dara O'Shea - back from a ban of his own, so the 25-year-old should come in for Hjalmar Ekdal after the Swede was forced off midway through the second half against Brighton.

Ekdal was not suffering from anything sinister, though - he was simply fatigued after his troublesome injury woes - and Clarets fans are also waiting to hear the latest on Ameen Al-Dakhil (unspecified) and Jordan Beyer (thigh).

However, Luca Koleosho (knee), Aaron Ramsey (knee) and Nathan Redmond (thigh) are still on the treatment table, and while Muric should not lose his spot on account of his Seagulls howler, Kompany should see fit to recall last week's goalscorer Brownhill and Charlie Taylor, the latter replacing Vitinho at left-back.

Sheffield United possible starting lineup:

Grbic; Holgate, Trusty, Ahmedhodzic; Osborn, Souza, Hamer, Arblaster, Larouci; McBurnie, Brereton Diaz

Burnley possible starting lineup:

Muric; Assignon, O'Shea, Esteve, Taylor; Foster, Berge, Brownhill, Cullen, Odobert; Datro Fofana

We say: Sheffield United 2-2 Burnley

Four of the Clarets' last six Premier League fixtures have now ended level, while Sheffield United have three high-scoring stalemates under their belts from their last five games, pointing towards an entertaining share of the spoils here.

Previews by email