Sheffield United and Newcastle United head into their midweek Premier League clash at Bramall Lane on the back of contrasting fortunes in the FA Cup.
The hosts finally got up and running for the season with a 3-2 triumph at Bristol Rovers to advance to the fourth round, whereas Newcastle's cup journey ended at the home of holders Arsenal on Saturday evening.
Match preview
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Prior to making the trip to the Memorial Stadium to face League One side Bristol Rovers, Sheffield United had taken to the pitch 18 times in the current campaign, drawing twice and losing 16 times in all competitions.
With speculation over Chris Wilder's future beginning to mount, the Blades finally claimed their first win of the season as they edged a five-goal thriller on Saturday afternoon, with Oliver Burke, Jayden Bogle and an own goal from Joe Day propelling them to victory.
The Bramall Lane faithful will be praying that a confidence-boosting win in the FA Cup will act as a catalyst for change in the Premier League campaign, where Wilder's men are rooted to the bottom of the table and still searching for their first three points.
Eleven of Sheffield United's last 12 outings in the top flight have ended in defeat and they are 12 points adrift of safety, with survival looking increasingly unlikely unless the Blades can pull off a magnificent turnaround over the next couple of months.
As well as being the only Premier League side yet to win this term, Wilder's crop are the one team without a clean sheet to their name, and another defeat on home soil would mark the first time ever that Sheffield United have lost six league games in a row on their own turf.
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In contrast, Newcastle faced an intimidating trip to the capital to take on defending champions Arsenal, but the Magpies gave it a real good go and forced extra time after a goalless 90 minutes.
However, the up-and-coming Emile Smith Rowe - who had just escaped a red card after a VAR check - put the Gunners in front before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wrapped up the win to leave Steve Bruce's men ruing their missed opportunities in normal time.
Bruce insisted that he was able to take a number of positives from that defeat in North London, but unless they begin to translate into results, Magpies supporters will continue to grow increasingly restless.
Saturday's defeat at Arsenal extended Newcastle's winless run to seven matches across all competitions since a 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion on December 12, and only eight points now separate Bruce's charges from the dotted line.
The Magpies have lost their last three away matches without finding the back of the net, but they have taken the spoils in their last five meetings with Sheffield United, including a comfortable 2-0 triumph at Bramall Lane last season.
Sheffield United Premier League form: LLDLLL
Sheffield United form (all competitions): LDLLLW
Newcastle United Premier League form: WLDLDL
Newcastle United form (all competitions): DLLDLL
Team News
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Sheffield United full-backs Enda Stevens and George Baldock did not make the trip to Bristol Rovers at the weekend and will be assessed ahead of this game.
Jack Robinson is not expected to feature as he recovers from a knock, while question marks continue to hang over the head of Oli McBurnie, but the hosts are well-stocked up top.
Burke has staked his claim for a starting place with his goal on Saturday and could be granted it if Wilder opts to rest Lys Mousset, who made headlines after his car was involved in a crash last week.
As for Newcastle, Jamal Lewis is not quite ready to return to the fold, but there is optimism over Ryan Fraser's availability even though he missed out against Arsenal.
Allan Saint-Maximin continues to recover from a particularly nasty bout of coronavirus, and the club recently confirmed that the winger did not breach any protocols after being pictured in a supermarket.
Callum Wilson and Jonjo Shelvey did not travel to the Emirates as a precaution but should be fine for this one, while Jamaal Lascelles is a minor doubt after lasting just 45 minutes on Saturday before being forced off through fatigue.
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Ramsdale; Egan, Ampadu, Basham; Bogle, Norwood, Fleck, Lundstram, Lowe; McGoldrick, Burke
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Dubravka; Yedlin, Fernandez, Clark, Schar, Ritchie; Murphy, Hayden, Shelvey, Almiron; Wilson
We say: Sheffield United 0-2 Newcastle United
Bruce's perceived negative style of play continues to draw criticism, but the Magpies have every right to feel confident heading into this one after a respectable showing at the Emirates. Sheffield United's injury problems continue to mount for the under-fire Wilder, and even though the hosts finally managed to win a game at the weekend, we think Newcastle will do enough to claim all three points here.
Top betting tip
Video prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
Ben Knapton
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Sheffield United win with a probability of 37.55%. A win for Newcastle United had a probability of 34.95% and a draw had a probability of 27.5%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sheffield United win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.97%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.06%) and 2-0 (6.8%). The likeliest Newcastle United win was 0-1 (10.49%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 11% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Sheffield United in this match.
