Sheffield United take on Luton Town on Boxing Day in what is being billed as a battle between two of the league’s three relegation favourites.
Sheffield United currently sit 20th in the Premier League with two wins, three draws and thirteen losses from seventeen games this season.
The Blades have had a fairly torrid return to the Premier League so far as they find themselves fighting for their lives in the relegation zone.
Their struggles caused them to part ways with manager Paul Heckingbottom to then reunite with former boss Chris Wilder, the man who brought a timely end to their lengthy Premier League absence.
The Blades are coming into this game in fairly poor form having won only one of their last five games.
Their most recent outing did, though, see them claim a very valuable point away at Aston Villa in a 1-1 draw.
They’ll feel they could’ve gotten more out of that game too, with Cameron Archer giving the Blades the lead with just three minutes of normal time remaining only for Nicolo Zaniolo to rescue a point for the home side in the seventh minute of time added on.
Despite the late heartbreak, the result is still an extremely positive one for Chris Wilder’s men given Villa are up at the top of the table challenging the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool - a position that is largely a product of their outstanding home form, too.
They can, then, take plenty of confidence from that game ahead of what is a very winnable fixture at home to one of their main relegation rivals. Their most recent game at Bramall Lane saw them claim a big 1-0 win against Brentford and they’ll be more than hopeful of a repeat result here.
Luton Town currently sit 18th in the Premier League with three wins, three draws and eleven losses from seventeen games this season.
Despite still sitting in the relegation zone, the Hatters have been one of the league’s surprise packages so far this season - in a good way - as most people expected them to be so far adrift of every other team in the league they’d give Derby a run for their record points haul.
Instead, they look like they have a serious chance of staying in the league based on the level of fight and resolve they’ve displayed.
They’re coming into this game having won two and lost three of their last five games, the most recent of which was a 1-0 win over Newcastle United at Kenilworth Road thanks to a goal from Andros Townsend.
The win over the Magpies was a massive one and was essentially a reward for a string of good performances, two of which saw them leave empty-handed after giving both Arsenal and Manchester City a good run for their money.
All of a sudden there seems a real optimism amongst fans and pundits over Luton’s survival chances and even though they’ve lost each of their last three games away from home they have a good opportunity to claim a valuable result here.
For our Sheffield United vs. Luton prediction, we’re going for a 2-1 win for the home side.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our previews, tips and offers for this weekend’s action.