Sheffield United vs Swansea City – Preview | OneFootball

On what’s set to be a typical cold autumn night on Wednesday night at Bramall Lane, the unbeaten Sheffield United play hosts to Swansea City, who are riding a three-game unbeaten streak.

The Blades were involved in a goalless draw at Portsmouth thanks to some outstanding goalkeeping for both teams at the weekend. Swansea have had one game less to prepare for this clash as they claimed a point against Bristol City on Sunday afternoon.

As things stand, the two teams are in the top ten, and it’s mainly down to their solid defensive records – the Blades have conceded three goals in seven games, Swansea have conceded five in seven.

Transfer business

Swansea boss Luke Williams needed to freshen up the squad in the summer after the Welshmen finished just seven points above the drop zone in what was a very stale season last term.

Six of the Jacks’ signings were 23 or under, and while they may lack the experience, the likes of Ji-Sung Eom, Goncalo Franco and Zan Vipotnik have improved the team’s energy and work rate.

Franco, the Portuguese midfielder, had some top class performances in the Portuguese top division last season, including against the likes of Braga and Benfica, and for me he is one of the best Championship signings of the summer. While he has energy and aggression in abundance, he’s also got plenty of composure and precision to make Swansea tick in midfield.

SWANSEA, WALES – APRIL 10: Luke Williams, Manager of Swansea City, looks on prior to the Sky Bet Championship match between Swansea City and Stoke City at Liberty Stadium on April 10, 2024 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Team news

Chris Wilder has already revealed that key midfielder Oliver Arblaster is more than likely out of action until after the October international break. Meanwhile, Jack Robinson and Tom Davies are continuing their journey to full fitness, with Robinson the closest to a return.

Swansea City don’t have any latest injury news, however, they may decide to make a few changes to freshen the team due to them having a day less to prepare for this game.

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 01: Gustavo Hamer of Sheffield United and Moussa Sissoko of Watford during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield United FC and Watford FC at Bramall Lane on September 01, 2024 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

Sheffield United’s star player for this game

United’s best chance against Portsmouth fell to Gustavo Hamer, but his header at the back post was well-saved by the Pompey goalkeeper. In reality so far, if you take Hamer out of this Blades attack then they would have struggled to score; the Dutchman has contributed to five of Sheffield United’s nine goals – four goals and one assist.

When you look at the goals he’s scored they’ve all been outrageous strikes in their own right, so it is no surprise to know that he is massively overperforming his expected goals tall of 1.36.

To go with his 3.7 shots per game, he is averaging a little over one key pass per game in the Championship. Even despite having a plethora of attacking talent on the pitch, the Blades have looked like a one man team through the opening couple of months of the campaign. And if they are to get a victory on Wednesday evening, they’ll likely need Hamer to conjure up yet more magic in order to breach a strong Swansea defence.

Swansea City’s star player for this game

For years, one of Swansea City’s main men has been Matt Grimes, who is the conductor in the middle of the park, and that has not changed this season.

The 29-year-old already has a goal to his name which came from the penalty spot. But more impressively, he is averaging 70 passes per game with a 93% completion rate. To add, he has registered 1.4 key passes per game through the first couple of months of the season.

The Jacks will need Grimes’ composure and vision on Wednesday evening if they are to get a positive result at Bramall Lane. Perhaps the fact that Oliver Arblaster won’t be in midfield alongside Vinicius Souza will aid Grimes in his attempt to control the tempo of play.

On the flip side, with Grimes having a workhorse alongside him like Goncalo Franco, this helps free Grimes up somewhat, and he doesn’t have to carry a heavy workload all on his own.

My view

Sheffield United have been very wasteful in the final third so far having missed seven of the nine big chances they have created in the Championship. The number of big chances created would also likely be higher if it wasn’t for the Blades either squandering fast-break opportunities or being reluctant to shoot.

The Blades will have to work extremely hard to create chances against a strong Swansea defence in midweek, one that has conceded five goals this season – the third best in the league – so you’d think they’d need to take any chance they get.

At the other end of the pitch, United have been outstanding at the back keeping five clean sheets, joint best with Leeds United, and their three goals conceded is the best defensive record in the division.

Luke Williams’ men have only created eight big chances thus far, which is the fourth worst tally in the league. One of those chances was a penalty. Four of those chances have been missed. And, they are fourth-worst in terms of shots on target per game.

My prediction

Across two months of Championship football, both teams have struggled to create chances, both teams have struggled to score their chances, and both defences are clearly the strongest part of their teams at this current stage.

Logic points to this one being a low scoring affair and there is a decent chance it will come down to someone like Gustavo Hamer to produce something extraordinary. Do Swansea City have a player that can do that? Possibly. But, I wouldn’t be sure. Whereas, Hamer has done nothing but do something special in the Championship over the years, and even in the Premier League last term.

I am willing to predict a fifth consecutive clean sheet for Sheffield United, and perhaps they’ll claim all three points with help from Hamer.