Having suffered contrasting results against lower-league opposition in the FA Cup, Sheffield United and West Ham United resume Premier League action at Bramall Lane on Sunday afternoon.
The Blades ran out comfortable 4-0 winners over Gillingham in their recent knockout tie, while the Hammers were eliminated at the first hurdle owing to a 1-0 loss to Bristol City.
Match preview
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Premier League joy has been in limited supply for Sheffield United since the returning Chris Wilder masterminded a 1-0 beating of Brentford last month, as they have acquired just one point from a possible 12 in subsequent fixtures with Chelsea, Aston Villa, Luton Town and Manchester City.
The Blades only managed a paltry three goals across those 360 minutes of football, but they bettered that tally in a quarter of the time during their FA Cup third-round affair with Gillingham, who were subjected to a four-goal humbling at the Priestfield Stadium on January 6.
Will Osula's first-half brace preceded a second-half double from James McAtee as Sheffield United earned themselves a fourth-round date with Brighton & Hove Albion, and that cup triumph was a welcome distraction from their increasingly dire Premier League situation.
While the Blades were not torn to shreds in their recent 2-0 loss to Man City, that Etihad reverse leaves Wilder's men at the foot of the standings as the only team yet to hit the 10-point mark in the current campaign, and eight points separate them from 17th-placed Luton, who have played a game more.
Taking seven of their nine points so far this season at Bramall Lane offers Sunday's hosts a miniscule sliver of encouragement, but they welcome West Ham to their headquarters having already shipped 13 goals from crosses in this season's Premier League; a sight for sore Irons eyes indeed.
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Being consigned to a second domestic cup exit in the space of a few weeks, West Ham were made to pay for not getting the job done at the first time of asking against Bristol City, who forced a third-round replay with the Europa Conference League winners on account of their 1-1 draw at the London Stadium.
Just three minutes into their rematch at Ashton Gate, Tommy Conway capitalised on a defensive blunder to propel the Robins into the lead, and aided by an inexcusable red card to Said Benrahma for kicking out at Joe Williams early in the second half, Bristol City sent their top-tier counterparts packing.
Now focusing purely on their Premier League and Europa League ventures between now and the spring, West Ham at least have a four-game unbeaten run to protect in the English top flight, a solid streak of form which sees the Irons entrenched in sixth spot in the mid-season standings.
All of Arsenal, Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton & Hove Albion have failed to breach David Moyes's backline in that run, and should the Irons also shut Sheffield United out this weekend, it will mark the first time in the Premier League era that the Hammers have recorded five successive league clean sheets.
History is on the Hammers' side too, as this weekend's visitors to Bramall Lane are on an 11-game Premier League winning streak against teams starting the day in 20th place, and they eased past Sheffield United 2-0 in September for their third successive victory over Wilder's side, coincidentally keeping clean sheets on all three occasions.
Team News
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Having earned his first minutes as a Blade against Gillingham in the FA Cup, Villarreal loanee Ben Brereton Diaz is in line for his Premier League baptism this weekend, and Wilder is expecting a handful of hitherto absent players to return to the fold this weekend too.
None of Auston Trusty, Anel Ahmedhodzic or George Baldock were risked for the Gillingham trip with the top flight in mind, but all three should be given the green light to feature here, while Tom Davies is back on the grass after a thigh operation but will build up his fitness gradually.
Jayden Bogle could also return from concussion protocol to tackle the Irons, but Chris Basham (ankle), Max Lowe (unspecified), John Egan (ankle) and Daniel Jebbison (illness) will not make the cut, nor will Africa Cup of Nations representatives Yasser Larouci and Anis Ben Slimane.
Meanwhile, West Ham winger Benrahma begins a three-game ban for his needless red card against Bristol City, which could spell a sour end to the Algerian's Hammers career amid talk of a potential January exit.
Whether Jarrod Bowen recovers from his ankle problem to displace Benrahma remains to be seen - Moyes was tight-lipped on the Englishman in his press conference - and a question mark is still hanging over the heads of Pablo Fornals (foot) and Edson Alvarez (calf).
Mohammed Kudus (AFCON), Nayef Aguerd (AFCON), Lucas Paqueta (calf) and Michail Antonio (knee) form a quartet of definite absentees for the Irons, who may have little choice but to deploy fringe pairing Danny Ings and Maxwel Cornet in the final third.
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Foderingham; Ahmedhodzic, Robinson, Trusty; Baldock, Hamer, Souza, Brooks; McAtee; Archer, Brereton Diaz
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Ogbonna, Emerson; Alvarez, Soucek; Fornals, Ward-Prowse, Cornet; Ings
We say: Sheffield United 0-1 West Ham United
With numerous attackers on the unavailable list and others touch-and-go for the trip to Bramall Lane, West Ham's struggles in the final third seem destined to continue against a Sheffield United side who have tightened up at the back since Wilder's homecoming.
The Blades remain particularly vulnerable in the air, though - music to the ears of set-piece supremo James Ward-Prowse - and with Moyes's side flaunting their defensive nous in the Premier League, a solitary Hammers goal may do the trick this weekend.
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