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Sheffield United logo
Premier League | Gameweek 34
Apr 20, 2024 at 3pm UK
Bramall Lane
Burnley logo

Sheff Utd
1 - 4
Burnley

Hamer (52')
Osborn (76')
FT(HT: 0-2)
Bruun Larsen (38'), Assignon (40'), Foster (58'), Berg Gudmundsson (71')

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

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Premier League clash between Sheffield United and Burnley, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Bramall Lane is the venue for Saturday's crunch clash at the bottom of the Premier League table, as 19th-placed Burnley travel to 20th-placed Sheffield United.

Only four points separate the two strugglers in the business end of the Premier League season, although Chris Wilder's men still boast a match in hand and have revenge on their mind following December's events.


Match preview

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder on April 4, 2024© Reuters

Hard-earned points against Bournemouth, Fulham and Chelsea may have delayed Sheffield United's demotion from the top flight, but Saturday's hosts are still the overwhelming favourites for a swift Championship return after last weekend's painful Brentford experience.

Oliver Arblaster - the teenage midfielder who has otherwise been a shining light for the Blades - inadvertently diverted Mikkel Damsgaard's delivery into his own net just past the hour mark, before Frank Onyeka's strike from a sublime Kevin Schade assist ensured maximum points for the Bees.

While Sheffield United boss Wilder felt that little could separate the two sides throughout the 90, the 56-year-old lamented his side's lack of cutting edge in key moments as the Blades set another piece of unwanted Premier League history; 84 goals conceded at this stage of the season is the most since the competition's inception in 1992.

Now 10 points adrift of safety thanks to Nottingham Forest's draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers, the Blades will remain rooted to the foot of the division even if they come up trumps in Saturday's cellar contest, which precedes two daunting trips to Manchester United and Newcastle United.

Tottenham Hotspur also lie in wait for Sheffield United on the final weekend, so three points on Saturday is paramount if the Blades are to mount a miraculous escape, but conceding multiple goals in their last seven Premier League home games suggests that such hopes may be far-fetched.

Burnley manager Vincent Kompany reacts on April 2, 2024© Reuters

As Vincent Kompany took his seat on the naughty step for Burnley's visit of Brighton, where he served a touchline ban, assistant manager Craig Bellamy temporarily took the reins and comically made most of the post-match headlines by denying the existence of rainbows, seemingly an unintentional mishap in the heat of the moment.

One could forgive the Clarets coach for his head being a bit frazzled, as Saturday's visitors threw away two points in farcical circumstances against the Seagulls; five minutes after Josh Brownhill's opener, Arijanet Muric allowed Sander Berge's backpass to roll underneath his studs and into the back of the net.

The stone-faced Muric was left to bemoan his second fatal error in as many matches - Everton's 1-0 triumph over Burnley came after his clearance was closed down by Dominic Calvert-Lewin - and Kompany's men now sit six points below the safety of 17th place after the goalkeeper's bizarre blunders.

However, that aforementioned beating at the hands of the Toffees represents the only loss that Burnley have been condemned to in their last six matches, although it is now 24 points dropped from winning positions in the 2023-24 Premier League for the Clarets, second only to Brentford's 30.

Kompany's troops are also still waiting for their first clean sheet of 2024, although they kept a shut-out with minimal difficulty during December's Turf Moor showdown with Sheffield United, whose humiliating 5-0 Lancashire lashing hammered the final nail in Paul Heckingbottom's coffin.

Sheffield United Premier League form:

Burnley Premier League form:


Team News

Burnley's Dara O'Shea is shown a red card by referee Michael Oliver on April 6, 2024© Reuters

Wilder was not only left dejected for scoreline reasons last week, as defender Jayden Bogle had to come off in the second half with an ankle injury, and the Blades boss has admitted that he will require a "huge slice of luck" to be involved on Saturday.

Jack Robinson - absent from the loss to Brentford entirely - is in the exact same boat with his own ankle concern, but Daniel Jebbison (illness), Rhian Brewster (hamstring), Tom Davies (thigh), George Baldock (calf), John Egan (ankle), Chris Basham (ankle), Rhys Norrington-Davies (hamstring) and Max Lowe (ankle) are all absent.

With Baldock and Bogle out, 18-year-old Sam Curtis is the only natural fit on the right-hand side for the Blades, but Ben Osborn could be shifted across to the wide role instead, allowing Vinicius Souza to return to the midfield pack.

As well as the return of Kompany to the Burnley touchline, the Clarets can also welcome a current defender - Dara O'Shea - back from a ban of his own, so the 25-year-old should come in for Hjalmar Ekdal after the Swede was forced off midway through the second half against Brighton.

Ekdal was not suffering from anything sinister, though - he was simply fatigued after his troublesome injury woes - but Clarets fans have received the bad news that Ameen Al-Dakhil (unspecified) and Jordan Beyer (thigh) are unlikely to play again this season.

Luca Koleosho (knee), Aaron Ramsey (knee) and Nathan Redmond (thigh) will likely share the same fate - although the former is in with a chance of a May comeback - and while Muric should not lose his spot on account of his Seagulls howler, Kompany should see fit to recall last week's goalscorer Brownhill and Charlie Taylor, the latter replacing Vitinho at left-back.


Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Grbic; Holgate, Trusty, Ahmedhodzic; Osborn, Souza, Hamer, Arblaster, Larouci; McBurnie, Brereton Diaz

Burnley possible starting lineup:
Muric; Assignon, O'Shea, Esteve, Taylor; Foster, Berge, Brownhill, Cullen, Odobert; Datro Fofana


SM words green background

We say: Sheffield United 2-2 Burnley

Four of the Clarets' last six Premier League fixtures have now ended level, while Sheffield United have three high-scoring stalemates under their belts from their last five games, pointing towards an entertaining share of the spoils here.

Neither side should err on the side of caution with survival out of their own hands, but Burnley's propensity to let leads slip could see Sheffield United glean a solitary point, albeit one which will likely not be enough to keep them afloat.


For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.


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Written by
Ben Knapton

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Game History

How you voted: Sheff Utd vs Burnley

Sheffield United
27.9%
Draw
41.3%
Burnley
30.8%
172
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd21145230111945
2Leeds UnitedLeeds21126337152242
3Burnley2111822681841
4Sunderland21117332171540
5Blackburn RoversBlackburn2011452517837
6Middlesbrough21104735251034
7Watford2010462926334
8West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom2171132416832
9Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds218582630-429
10Swansea CitySwansea217682322127
11Bristol City216962626027
12Norwich CityNorwich216873632426
13Millwall206772018225
14Derby CountyDerby216692626024
15Coventry CityCoventry216692730-324
16Preston North EndPreston2141162127-623
17Stoke CityStoke215792328-522
18Queens Park RangersQPR2141072127-622
19Luton TownLuton2164112337-1422
20Oxford UnitedOxford Utd2046102133-1218
21Cardiff CityCardiff2046101932-1318
22Portsmouth193882134-1317
23Plymouth ArgylePlymouth2045111942-2317
24Hull City2137111930-1116


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