Sheffield United vs West Bromwich Albion – Preview | OneFootball

Sheffield United return to Bramall Lane on Saturday afternoon to take on relegation-threatened West Bromwich Albion in the Sky Bet Championship.

The Blades find themselves firmly in mid-table, but there is still a slim chance of them making the play-offs. A comfortable 2-0 victory away at Queens Park Rangers sees them nine points adrift of sixth-placed Wrexham, though they have several teams to play who are in and around the play-off picture as we head into the final stretch.

West Bromwich Albion are in desperate need of points. The Baggies are currently just one point above the relegation zone, and I doubt many would’ve had both themselves and Leicester City in this precarious position with just 11 games remaining of the campaign. A 2-1 loss against Oxford United last time out means West Brom have lost seven of their last 11 matches, and only four draws in that time.

Team News

Chris Wilder will have almost a full squad to choose from this weekend with the only absences being Sam McCallum and Tom Davies, while Kalvin Phillips will serve the final match of his suspension.

West Bromwich Albion will remain without experienced centre-back Chris Mepham and forward Karlan Grant who are both likely to miss the rest of the season with hamstring issues. Meanwhile, key man Michael Johnston is a doubt after he was subbed off early in their recent defeat at Oxford.

Sheffield United’s Impact Player For This Game

At this stage of the campaign, Sheffield United probably have to win every home game that remains, at the very least, if they want to kick down that play-off door come the final week.

One man that can help them do that is Callum O’Hare. The former Aston Villa and Coventry City attacking midfielder has delivered and then some this term, contributing to 14 goals in the Championship, which is already the best tally of his entire career.

O’Hare has been a consistent threat for the Blades this season, even when others around him have been below standard. Despite his diminutive figure, he has regularly found himself being a nuisance inside the box with his darting runs into the back post areas, similar to his most recent goal against Queens Park Rangers last weekend. He has massively improved this aspect of his game compared to last season, and it’s paid off tremendously.

The thing that goes under the radar with O’Hare is his understanding and intelligence of the game in attacking phases. He has a wonderful ability to draw defenders towards him, thus leaving space for others. He will regularly perform quick back heels, reverse passes or dummies which catch the opposition off guard and all these actions are purposeful because of the misdirection it causes in the opposition back line.

West Bromwich Albion’s Impact Player For This Game

If Irish winger Michael Johnston is unable to play a part at Bramall Lane then the travelling fans will be looking for Isaac Price to step up, which he has done at times this season. The Northern Irishman has scored six times and served up two assists in 32 starts in the Championship, and at 22, he is one of the brightest young players in the division.

Price is an attack-minded midfielder who has a keen eye for goal, often arriving into the box late to get on the end of cutbacks and low crosses, or waiting on the edge of the area for weak clearances to drop his way. He has already shown his ability to score from range this term, with a couple of long shots to his name and a free-kick goal.

Price isn’t the most creative of attacking midfielders; he prefers to drop a shoulder and shoot on sight rather than attempt to thread an incisive through ball for example. He averages almost three shots per game and less than 1.50 chances created per game.

If the Baggies are to get anything from the game then Price will need to be on top form against the Blades.

My Prediction

Sheffield United have to get three points here, which is probably going to be said eight or nine times in the final 11 matches left, if they are to burst into the play-offs at the last minute.

West Brom are in deep trouble. And looking at the numbers it’s easy to understand why; they are the worst performing team in the league when it comes to goals conceded vs expected goals conceded. They have let in over 15 goals than data suggests they should have. This could come down to a number of things though: a bit of bad luck, terrible situational defending or simply awful shot-stopping from their goalkeepers.

This statistic is hard to ignore, especially when you’re heading to Bramall Lane where the Blades have scored in buckets in recent months. Sheffield United will score three goals on Saturday and claim all three points.

Stats taken from Fotmob and Opta.