West Bromwich Albion vs Sheffield United – Preview | OneFootball

Sheffield United head to the Midlands on Friday evening to face mid-table West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns.

West Brom enter this game having won just once in their last five matches. They’ve leaked eight goals in their last three games, with their most recent result being a 3-2 loss away at Southampton.

The Blades are in contrasting form. Chris Wilder’s side are now unbeaten in six games. However, they may feel rather fortunate that the streak is still alive after Norwich City almost snatched all three points in the dying moments on Tuesday evening if it wasn’t for the strong hand over Michael Cooper.

Team News

Ryan Mason could be without influential midfielder Alex Mowatt after he was forced off early in the Southampton game with an injury. Jed Wallace could once again be unavailable, the experienced versatile attacking midfielder has not featured since October.

Wilder admitted that Sydie Peck’s calf injury suffered last weekend “is not looking good”. He added that Jairo Riedewald and Sam McCallum missed Tuesday night because of illness, though both are expected to be back for this game. Lastly, Mark McGuinness could again miss out due to his ankle injury.

West Bromwich Albion’s Impact Player For This Game

STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND – APRIL 06: Mikey Johnston of West Bromwich Albion is challenged by Million Manhoef of Stoke City during the Sky Bet Championship match between Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion at Bet365 Stadium on April 06, 2024 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by Jess Hornby/Getty Images)

Despite only being mid-table, West Bromwich Albion have several players that can hurt any team on any given matchday. But the one player that could seriously hurt the Blades is Michael Johnston, with the winger formerly linked with the Blades in previous windows.

The Irishman has bags of energy and bursts that see him dazzle many Championship full-backs. He already has two goals and seven assists to his name this term, and he’ll likely be coming up against Femi Seriki on Friday night.

Now, this is the issue for United. Whilst Seriki is playing very well, he’s being asked to play an awful lot of football right now with very little break, and it’s simply because United don’t have a suitable rotation option for him. If his energy levels are somewhat depleted, then you’d have to give the edge to Johnston in this potential battle.

The 26-year-old doesn’t need any more encouragement to run at a full-back either. He ranks in the 97th percentile for progressive carries and 95th percentile for successful take-ons per 90 compared to all Championship wingers and attacking midfielders this season. Equally, his end product has been exceptional; averaging over 2.2 key passes per 90 and ranking in the 95th percentile for expected assists per 90.

His overall impact on West Brom is huge and it does seem like if he has a quiet game then you’re essentially limiting part of the attacking threats of the Baggies. Johnston averages over five shot-creating actions per 90, which is very high and ranks him as one of the best players in the division in this regard.

Sheffield United’s Impact Player For This Game

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 23: Tyrese Campbell of Sheffield United scores his team’s first goal past goalkeeper Ethan Horvath of Sheffield Wednesday during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United at Hillsborough on November 23, 2025 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

The Blades were not at their best in midweek against Norwich City, and that was largely due to Wilder making over half a dozen changes to the starting eleven because of knocks and illnesses in camp. They must find their rhythm early in this game and offer a serious threat at the top of the pitch.

United’s Tyrese Campbell had a big impact last season at The Hawthorns in a 2-2 draw, and I fancy him to be involved in scoring situations once again this time around. West Brom’s centre-back pairing of Chris Mepham and Nat Phillips is very serviceable at this level, but there is a glaring athleticism issue with that duo in my eyes. And that’s something Campbell can look to exploit.

Campbell already has five goals and two assists on his account for this season, and considering Southampton’s Adam Armstrong bagged a brace against West Brom last time out (who has that same type of burst of pace that Campbell does), Campbell should be confident in adding to his goals tally in this one.

From an advanced metrics point of view, Campbell is much lower this season compared to this stage 12 months ago. Yet, I actually think he’s a more complete player this time around. Then again, I believe the balance of the attack suits him more, for e.g, when you have the likes of Andre Brooks playing off the right, it provides another strong transition player which can only elevate Campbell.

A lot of the times last season in the 4-2-3-1, it was someone feeding Campbell to run onto and burst clear; that was our quick attack or counterattacking option. This term, we have a genuine pace threat on the right and a much improved Brooks. Plus, Callum O’Hare’s end product and decision-making has been outstanding for most of the campaign. And with another in-form strike partner like Patrick Bamford, who loves to come short and play cute feeding passes or play short balls around the corner, it’s more of a well-rounded threat this time around.

My Prediction

It always feels like West Brom away is one of the toughest fixtures of United’s season, and despite the contrasting form I expect no difference in this one on Friday evening.

The Blades can extend their unbeaten run here, though I expect them to concede as well. I’m going for either another score draw or a 2-1 win late on for Sheffield United.

Stats taken from FBref and Opta.