Sheffield United vs Arsenal: Match Preview, Predictions & Betting Tips

Arsenal make the trip up north to take on a struggling Sheffield United side in a bid to keep pace with Liverpool and Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

• Date: 04/03/24
• Kick-off time: 20:00
• Venue: Bramall Lane

Every game from now on is a must-win for Sheffield United as they bid to avoid an immediate return to the Championship. They are rooted to the bottom of the table, a position they have held for the majority of the season, and are eight points away from safety. A victory at Luton a couple of weeks ago had given the Blades a small glimmer of hope, but a 5-0 home defeat to Brighton the following week saw that belief shattered almost immediately.

The Gunners, in contrast, have been flying since the turn of the year. They have won all six Premier League games, scoring 25 goals and conceding just three. This has left them in third place, but very much in reach of the top, as they trail leaders Liverpool by two points. There is very little margin for error given the quality of both sides above them, but Mikel Arteta’s side are showing no signs of slowing down. They suffered a blip in midweek as they lost 1-0 to Porto in the Champions League, but they responded excellently by beating Newcastle 4-1 at the Emirates.

Sheffield United have conceded the most goals at this stage of the season in Premier League history. Arsenal have scored 62 goals already, meaning it could be a long afternoon for Chris Wilder’s side. With their opponents being beaten 5-0 at home in two games in a row, the visitors will be confident of adding a few more to their goal tally. Bukayo Saka has scored 13 times this season and is their main goal threat, though the team does a great job of sharing the goals.

Since 2019, these two sides have faced each other six times in all competitions. As expected, Arsenal have dominated the fixture with four wins, though Sheffield United were victorious in the first of these meetings. Lys Mousset scored the winner that day in a 1-0 win. They followed this up with a 1-1 draw at the Emirates, but the Gunners are now on a four-game winning streak against this weekend’s opponents. They met in the 2020 FA Cup quarter-finals, in which Arsenal came out on top 2-1, though they needed a 90th-minute goal from Dani Ceballos to advance, and eventually win the competition.

The reverse fixture was a very dominant victory, however, as Arteta’s side put five past their visitors. Eddie Nketiah bagged his first Premier League hat-trick, before Fabio Vieira and Takehiro Tomiyasu added two more goals late on.

Sheffield United

Mason Holgate is still serving his suspension for the red card he picked up against Brighton. The Blades have a number of long-term absentees but no fresh injury concerns heading into this one.

Arsenal

Arsenal have a few injuries, though no fresh concerns for Mikel Arteta. Jurrien Timber is still on track for a return this season, whilst Oleksandr Zinchenko, Thomas Partey and Takehiro Tomiyasu are all due back sometime in March.

Sheffield United

In their last five games, Sheffield United have won once and lost four. Their last two home games has seen them lose 5-0 to Brighton and Aston Villa.

Between the two heavy defeats they picked up a huge three points at Luton. Cameron Archer broke the deadlock after half an hour, before James McAtee doubled the lead from the spot six minutes later. Carlton Morris pulled one back for the hosts shortly after the restart, but the nerves were eased when Vinicius Souza added a third.

The first defeat came away at Crystal Palace as they heartbreakingly lost 3-2 in the final minutes. It was an even tougher loss considering they had taken the lead twice. Ben Brereton Diaz opened the scoring after just one minute, though Eberechi Eze equalised not long after. McAtee immediately restored the lead but Eze grabbed his second to level it once more. The winner came in the 67th minute through Michael Olise to condemn the Blades to another defeat and leave them ruing a huge opportunity to gain points.

An immediate return to the Championship seems inevitable now following their most recent defeat at Wolves last weekend. They kept the game close but lost 1-0 to a Pablo Sarabia winner.

Arsenal

In their last five games, Arsenal have won four and lost one. They had dominated in the Premier League winning three in a row, scoring 14 and conceding just one. However, this was followed by a disappointing defeat in the Champions League, as they lost 1-0 at Porto. They will have to overturn this deficit in the second leg following Galeno’s 94th minute winner.

The Gunners hosted Liverpool in a huge top-of-the-table clash, which they won 3-1 to close the gap at the summit. Bukayo Saka put them ahead early, but a Gabriel Magalhaes own goal levelled the score before the break. Gabriel Martinelli restored their lead after a defensive mishap between Virgil Van Dijk and Alisson, before Leandro Trossard added a third late on. They followed this up with a massive 6-0 victory away at West Ham, Saka scored a brace which added to goals from William Saliba, Gabriel, Trossard and Declan Rice. An almost equally as crushing win came the week after, as they thrashed Burnley 5-0 at Turf Moor. Saka once again scored two after Martin Odegaard broke the deadlock four minutes in. Trossard and Kai Havertz put the game to bed in the second half.

Following their Champions League defeat, they returned to league action at home to Newcastle, and they continued their incredible league form, winning 4-1. They were on it from minute one, finally opening the scoring on 18 minutes through a Sven Botman own goal. Havertz and Saka gave them a 3-0 lead at the half, which grew to four with a Jakub Kiwior goal. Joe Willock got a late consolation against his former club.

Sheffield United have a dreadful defence, and Arsenal have the league’s hottest attack, meaning there is only one way this can go. Expect the Gunners to have another big afternoon - Sheffield United 0-4 Arsenal

Sheffield United vs Arsenal will be available to watch on Sky Sports Main Event.