MX23RW : Friday, November 8 22:30:48| >> :60:164:164:
[monks data]
Attendance: 60,310
Arsenal logo
Premier League | Gameweek 23
Jan 18, 2020 at 3pm UK
 
Sheffield United logo

1-1

FT(HT: 1-0)
Fleck (83')

Preview: Arsenal vs. Sheffield United - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's clash between Arsenal and Sheffield United at the Emirates Stadium, including team news, predictions and head-to-head records.

Arsenal welcome Sheffield United to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday in the Premier League, with the Gunners looking to make up ground on their rivals ahead of them.

The Blades are currently four points clear of Mikel Arteta's side in the table and beat the North London club 1-0 in the reverse fixture at Bramall Lane in October.


Match preview

Lys Mousset celebrates scoring for Sheffield United against Arsenal on October 21, 2019© Reuters

Arsenal have improved in recent weeks under new coach Arteta, but their results have not seen a dramatic upturn as of yet.

The Gunners remain 10th in the table and are now 11 points adrift of the top four.

On the other hand, Chris Wilder's team have maintained their early season form and are continuing to surprise teams up and down the league.

The Blades sit sixth going into this match and can go fifth for 24 hours at least with a win at the Emirates.

United have picked up 10 points from their last six games, which is three more than the seven Arsenal have amassed, with that six-game run including visits to the Etihad Stadium and Anfield.

Wilder's selection has been remarkably consistent throughout the season, with his forwards the only players that he has chosen to rotate regularly.

Reiss Nelson scores for Arsenal on January 6, 2020© Reuters

Lys Mousset proved the match winner when the two sides met earlier this season, but the former Northampton boss opted for David McGoldrick and Oli McBurnie in their win over West Ham United last time out.

Arteta too has been consistent in his selection, but is without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for this match, with the Gabon international serving the first part of his three-game suspension following the red card he picked up against Crystal Palace.

This will give the Spaniard a selection headache, which will only be worsened by injury problems throughout the squad.

With the Gunners still just seven points clear of the relegation zone, they need to start picking up points and, given their poor away form over the past few seasons, home matches against newly-promoted opposition will be seen as must-wins.

The North London club have won just twice away from home this season, while they have picked up four wins at home.

Sheffield United's Leon Clarke celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates on January 5, 2020© Reuters

Arsenal can leapfrog a few teams ahead of them with a win depending on how results go elsewhere and, with Manchester United travelling to Anfield on Sunday, they will be hopeful of gaining ground on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.

Tactically it also promises to be an interesting match up, with Arteta's five-up formation meeting Wilder's overlapping centre-back system.

United played very deep in the reverse fixture after picking up an early goal and will likely cede possession against an Arsenal side that has been dominant in that statistic in recent weeks.

However, the Blades will still hope to hurt Arsenal in wide areas, where the home side may have to rely on 18-year-old winger Bukayo Saka at left-back.

Wilder's side have won three times away from Bramall Lane this season, but have only lost twice.

Arsenal competition form: LDDLWD
Arsenal form (all competitions): DDLWWD

Sheffield United competition form: WWDLLW
Sheffield United form (all competitions): WDLLWW


Team News

Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sees red on January 11, 2020© Reuters

Arsenal are without Aubameyang due to his suspension, but also have Sead Kolasinac, Lucas Torreira and Hector Bellerin facing late fitness tests.

Kolasinac and Torreira both picked up knocks at Selhurst Park, while Bellerin is still returning from a relapse in his recovery from an ACL injury he picked up in early 2019.

Elsewhere, Calum Chambers and Kieran Tierney are both out with long-term issues.

The Blades, on the other hand, have no fresh doubts ahead of the match at the Emirates.

Simon Moore and Michael Verrips are both closing in on a return but probably will not feature on Saturday.

Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Leno; Maitland-Niles, Sokratis, Luiz, Saka; Guendouzi, Xhaka; Pepe, Ozil, Martinelli; Lacazette

Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Henderson; Basham, Egan, O'Connell; Baldock, Lundstram, Norwood, Fleck, Stevens; McGoldrick, McBurnie


Head To Head

Sheffield United came out on top when the two sides last faced off, with a Mousset goal giving the Blades victory at Bramall Lane.

This was the first time these clubs have faced each other since 2008, when Arsenal beat United 6-0 at the Emirates in the EFL Cup.

In their most recent Premier League meeting at the Emirates, Arsenal won 3-0, although Neil Warnock's side did win the reverse fixture 1-0 at Bramall Lane.


Sports Mole Logo

We say: Arsenal 2-1 Sheffield United

Arsenal have had one of their poorest starts to a season in recent years, but with Arteta at the helm they should just have enough to see off Wilder's side. Having said that, it is set to be a fascinating tactical battle and do not rule out the Blades causing the Gunners problems.



ID:386343: cacheID:386343:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:10251:

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 win with a probability of 51.95%. A win for had a probability of 24.29% and a draw had a probability of 23.8%.

The most likely scoreline for a win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.16%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.71%) and 2-0 (8.78%). The likeliest win was 0-1 (6.5%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.23%).


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Arsenal's Shkodran Mustafi celebrates scoring their first goal against Vitoria on November 6, 2019
Read Next:
Mikel Arteta hints that Shkodran Mustafi will stay at Arsenal
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Bengals
34-35
Ravens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!