A Sheffield United team conceding at an alarming rate at Bramall Lane host an Arsenal outfit scoring for fun away from home in Monday's Premier League fixture.
The Blades remain relegation favourites owing to last week's 1-0 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers, whereas the Gunners are still embroiled in the title scrap thanks to a 4-1 crushing of Newcastle United.
Match preview
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With the home advantage phenomenon eluding Sheffield United at their Bramall Lane base, Chris Wilder and co welcomed a trip to rival territory for last weekend's battle with Gary O'Neil's Wolves, who failed to display much of an attacking bite throughout the Molineux matchup.
Jose Sa and his defenders had to be called upon on several occasions to keep the Blades out, but in spite of their vastly improved showing, Wilder's basement boys still travelled home empty-handed as Pablo Sarabia headed in the only goal of the contest on the half-hour mark.
Wilder may have been able to reflect on some encouraging signs in the West Midlands, but Sheffield United's 20th-placed ranking in the table is far less encouraging, and the Blades are still clutching onto a one-way ticket back down to the Championship as they sit 11 points behind Nottingham Forest in 17th spot.
While the hosts are yet to lose by more than one goal on the road in 2024, they have forgotten to bolt the Bramall Lane back doors shut in recent weeks and are now on the verge two unwanted English football firsts following demoralising defeats versus Aston Villa (5-0) and Brighton & Hove Albion (5-0 and 5-2).
Should Sheffield United be defeated by at least a five-goal margin to Arsenal, they would become the first team in English league history to ever lose three successive home games by that scoreline, while also holding the unwanted honour of being the only team in the land to ever ship five goals in four straight home matches in all tournaments.
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As Sheffield United bid to avoid writing an unwanted page of English football history, their upcoming visitors have a more desirable record in their sights on account of their 6-0 battering of West Ham United and 5-0 demolition of Burnley in their last two Premier League away affairs.
Aiming to become the first team in the top four English divisions to win three consecutive away matches by five goals or more, Arsenal's attacking supremacy on the road evaporated in their 1-0 reverse to Porto in the Champions League, but they shined their best shooting boots for last weekend's visit of Newcastle.
Strikes from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Jakub Kiwior - alongside a Sven Botman own goal - saw Arsenal avenge their excruciating and controversial 1-0 loss at St James' Park earlier in the season, while also keeping them on the final podium spot in the Premier League rankings.
The gap to leaders Liverpool currently stands at four points by virtue of the Reds' last-gasp 1-0 win against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, not that Mikel Arteta's troops will be casting their eyes over the table as they seek a seventh Premier League win on the spin, and a fourth on the trot versus Sheffield United.
The Gunners subjected Wilder's men to a 5-0 slaughter at the Emirates Stadium back in October, and their two encounters at Bramall Lane since the first COVID-19 lockdown saw Arsenal run out 2-1 winners in the 2019-20 FA Cup quarter-finals, before a resounding 3-0 top-flight success in April 2021.
Team News
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Good news has been a rarity for Sheffield United fans in recent times, but Wilder has confirmed a double injury boost for the Blades ahead of Monday's game, where Ben Brereton Diaz (thigh) and George Baldock (unspecified) should make their competitive comebacks.
Seven infirm players in Daniel Jebbison (illness), Cameron Archer (calf), Anis Ben Slimane (thigh), Chris Basham (ankle), John Egan (ankle), Max Lowe (ankle) and Rhys Norrington-Davies (thigh) remain absent, though, while Mason Holgate serves the second of his three-game ban.
The latter's suspension means that Auston Trusty is primed to feature against his former employers - whom he did not make a single competitive appearance for - and either Oliver Norwood or Yasser Larouci may be at risk of dropping out for Brereton Diaz; Rhian Brewster put in a promising display versus Wolves and should not be demoted.
Regarding the Gunners, Arteta is expecting Thomas Partey - who has been out since October with a serious thigh injury - to be in contention for the trip to Bramall Lane, although a spot on the bench awaits the Ghanaian following four-and-a-half months of recuperation.
Neither Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf) nor Takehiro Tomiyasu (knock) have been ruled out either, although their chances of returning are not so strong, while ACL victim Jurrien Timber will be building up his match fitness for several more weeks.
Gabriel Jesus was back on the bench against Newcastle after his latest knee problem, but he was an unused substitute as Arteta carefully manages his minutes, so the Brazilian is unlikely to force his way back into the first XI just yet.
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Grbic; Ahmedhodzic, Robinson, Trusty; Baldock, Hamer, Souza, McAtee, Larouci; Brereton Diaz, Brewster
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
We say: Sheffield United 0-5 Arsenal
A repeat of October's Halloween horror show for Sheffield United is on the cards on Monday night, where Arsenal are set to rejoice in breaking an English football record while the Blades enter an unwanted exclusive club of their own.
Not having to worry about the second leg of their Champions League last-16 affair with Porto until the second week of March, a near full-strength Arsenal should run riot against the league's worst defence, potentially with a couple of customary set-piece goals.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
