Bramall Lane plays host to a Premier League basement battle on Saturday afternoon, as Sheffield United pit their wits against Bournemouth.
The rejuvenated Blades entered the international break on the back of a 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion, while the Cherries dented Newcastle United's European aspirations in a 2-0 beating.
Match preview
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They say that the international hiatus often comes at the worst time for certain teams, and for a Sheffield United side who gleaned four points from two fixtures earlier this month - having only amassed one point from 10 games before that - the phrase rings true.
On the back of their merited yet highly controversial beating of Wolverhampton Wanderers, which saw the newly-promoted outfit finally post a first success of the season at the 11th attempt, Paul Heckingbottom's crop ventured to a jelly-legged and injury-hit Brighton team, who were the architects of their own downfall at the Amex.
Up-and-coming winger Simon Adingra needed just six minutes to open his and the Seagulls' account for the afternoon, but five minutes after Brighton lost Mahmoud Dahoud to a red card, Adam Webster's unfortunate own goal saw the Blades travel back to base with a hard-earned point.
Not since July 2020 had Sheffield United avoided defeat in two successive matches in the Premier League - enjoying a run of three wins and a draw under Chris Wilder in the COVID-19 era - but their reward is only an 18th-placed standing in the table thanks to Everton's 10-point deduction, one point adrift of Luton Town in the safety of 17th place.
A dissatisfactory result for the Hatters against Crystal Palace could therefore see Sheffield United rise above the dreaded dotted line if they can take care of business against Bournemouth, but they are still without a top-flight clean sheet this season, and their visitors also entered the fortnight's pause on a high.
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While injuries partly played a role in Brighton's failure to beat Sheffield United, physical problems eventually caught up to Newcastle's decimated crop during their loss to Bournemouth, where Eddie Howe's return to the Vitality Stadium was a forgettable one for the ex-Cherries coach.
After 60 minutes of scoreless action, Dominic Solanke finally breached the seemingly impenetrable Nick Pope before doubling his tally 13 minutes later, and Andoni Iraola's men could - and should - have won by more had it not been for the feats of Newcastle's number one.
Having begun the month with back-to-back losses to Liverpool and Manchester City in the EFL Cup and Premier League respectively, the sweet taste of victory came at an opportune moment for Bournemouth, who find themselves four points clear of the relegation zone in 16th position.
However, Iraola's men are yet to uncover the formula for success on the road this season and head to Bramall Lane having failed to win any of their last seven top-flight away games - losing six of them - and 17 goals conceded on enemy territory represents the worst record of its kind in the division.
The Cherries did thwart Sheffield United at Bramall Lane in their most recent competitive showdown, though - a 0-0 Championship draw in April 2022 - prior to which Bournemouth had ended a 10-game streak without victory in this fixture by putting the Blades to the sword 2-1 on the South Coast in October 2021.
Team News
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To say that Sheffield United's point against Brighton came at a cost would be an understatement, as all of Vinicius Souza, James McAtee and Jayden Bogle had to be taken off in the second half, the former only lasting 52 minutes due to a back issue.
McAtee and Bogle only appeared to be suffering from cramp, although the latter is still playing through the pain of a minor issue, while Oli McBurnie (groin) and Anel Ahmedhodzic (thigh) are also ready to go again.
Max Lowe was also able to make the bench at the Amex after battling back from ankle surgery, but Heckingbottom will still be without the services of Chris Basham (ankle), Rhian Brewster (thigh), Rhys Norrington-Davies (thigh), John Egan (ankle), Tom Davies (thigh) and Daniel Jebbison (illness) for this one.
The Bournemouth medical team also entered the international break with a new name to look after, as Max Aarons strained his hamstring in the win over Newcastle, where Philip Billing was absent entirely due to a knock to the thigh.
Aarons has now been ruled out for "some time" - Adam Smith is a like-for-like swap on the right - but Billing has made a full recovery and will expect to demote Justin Kluivert to the bench.
As is the case with the Blades, though, Bournemouth also have a lengthy list of definite absentees, which comprises Tyler Adams (thigh), Alex Scott (knee), Emiliano Marcondes (ankle), Darren Randolph (illness) and Ryan Fredericks (calf), but Iraola should see no need to ring the changes either way.
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Foderingham; Baldock, Trusty, Ahmedhodzic; Bogle, Souza, Norwood, Thomas; McAtee, Hamer; Archer
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Neto; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Christie, Cook; Semenyo, Billing, Tavernier; Solanke
We say: Sheffield United 1-1 Bournemouth
With Sheffield United yet to record a top-flight clean sheet this season and Bournemouth leaking goals at an alarming rate on the road, neither backline should depart Saturday's game having successfully protected their goalkeeper, but the feel-good factor should still be present in both camps.
An untimely fortnight's break could certainly harm both sides' momentum, though, and we are finding it impossible to pick an outright winner in this tie, ultimately settling on a low-scoring draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
