Two sides in need of a win lock horns in the Premier League this weekend as Sheffield United face off against Aston Villa.
Sheffield United currently sit rock bottom of the Premier League with two wins, four draws and sixteen losses from twenty-two games this season.
It’s been a tough campaign for the Blades who are looking well on course for an immediate relegation back to the Championship following promotion last time out.
They’ve looked well short of the requisite level to properly compete in this division and they come into this game winless in their last six league games having lost four of those.
Their latest outing saw them fall to a 3-2 defeat away at Crystal Palace, with goals from Ben Brereton Diaz and James McAtee not enough to see the Blades walk away with a result.
Chris Wilder’s side twice led in that game but were still unable to even emerge with a point, and given Palace entered the game in very poor form you can’t help but feel that the Blades’ inability to get anything from a game with those dynamics was a game typical of a side destined for relegation.
Their form at Bramall Lane hasn’t been much better either, with Sheffield United having won just one of their last five games on home soil.
The Blades are nine points shy of safety and that gap seems to be growing by the week, and while they’re not gone yet they’re going to need a dramatic improvement in form in order to remain in this division.
They gave Aston Villa trouble when the two sides met at Villa Park back in December and were minutes away from a big win until Nicolò Zaniolo netted an equaliser in seventh minute of added time, so if they can’t get a result here then things are going to be looking very gloomy for the Yorkshire side.
Aston Villa currently sit 4th in the Premier League with thirteen wins, four draws and five losses from twenty-two games this season.
Villa are having an excellent season on the whole as they still sit in the Champions League places, even if their form has dipped in recent weeks.
It’s true that Villa have started to wobble somewhat of late as they enter this game having won just one of their last five games in the league, the latest of which was a 1-3 defeat to Newcastle United.
The loss to Newcastle was their first defeat at home in the league this season and was demonstrative of the fall in performance Unai Emery’s side have suffered in recent weeks.
Whether it’s a slight wobble or a deeper issue remains to be seen, but Emery has bolstered his squad this window with the addition of forward Morgan Rogers for a fee of £15m in addition to the recruitment of teenage left-back Lino Sousa from Arsenal in an attempt to keep his side competitive.
They’ve been pretty competitive away from home in recent games as they enter this one having won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five league games on the road so a game against the side bottom of the league table is a huge chance to claim a much-needed three points.
For our Sheffield United vs. Aston Villa prediction, we’re going for a 1-1 draw.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our previews, tips and offers for this weekend’s action.