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

A cardinal conflict astatine the apical extremity of the Championship table volition instrumentality spot astatine Bramall Lane connected Boxing Day, arsenic Sheffield United invited Burnley.

After some signaling victories past weekend, the hosts beryllium 3 points wide astatine the apical of the standings, portion their visitors are 4 points down successful 3rd spot.

Match preview

© Imago

Sheffield United caput into Boxing Day aiming to further widen their pb astatine the apical of the Championship array astatine the halfway signifier of the season, having enjoyed an eye-catching commencement to the run connected their instrumentality to England's 2nd tier.

Aiming to triumph an contiguous promotion backmost to the Premier League, Chris Wilder's broadside person flooded a two-point deduction to beryllium astatine the acme of the part connected 48 points from 22 outings, having won 15 of those and lone suffered 2 defeats.

That is successful nary tiny portion down to their near-perfect location record, having lone dropped 2 points successful 10 outings astatine Bramall Lane and won each of their past 9 without conceding a azygous extremity on the way.

After suffering their lone 2 league losses of the play consecutively successful October, the Blades find themselves unbeaten successful 11 league outings having won 9 of those, astir precocious beating Plymouth Argyle 2-0 astatine location and visiting Cardiff City and prevailing by the aforesaid scoreline acknowledgment to Kieffer Moore's second-half brace.

Now sitting 3 points wide astatine the apical of the array and 4 up of Thursday's visitors, having lone conceded 11 goals successful 22 games, Sheffield United volition purpose to fortify their promotion bid astatine the halfway constituent of the run with a 4th consecutive league triumph connected Boxing Day.

© Imago

They look a pugnacious test, though, arsenic the visitors marque the travel crossed to South Yorkshire hoping to interruption into the automatic promotion spots and widen their ain good tally of form.

Also aiming to triumph an contiguous promotion backmost to the Premier League this term, Burnley presently beryllium 3rd with 44 points connected the committee from 22 outings, mostly acknowledgment to their good antiaircraft grounds being the lone broadside to concede less goals than Thursday's hosts this season, having lone allowed 9 successful those 22 games.

Since suffering conscionable their 2nd league decision of the play successful aboriginal November, the Clarets are present unbeaten successful 9 Championship outings and person recorded 3 consecutive distant victories, astir precocious visiting Norwich City and coming from down to prevail 2-1 acknowledgment to goals from Zian Flemming and Josh Brownhill successful the last 25 minutes.

Scott Parker's men past met Watford astatine Turf Moor connected Saturday and made it back-to-back 2-1 victories, having gone 2-0 up done Jaidon Anthony and Brownhill and stood beardown for the last 10 minutes aft Kwadwo Baah pulled 1 backmost for the visitors.

Now returning to enactment with conscionable a one-point spread up to second-placed Leeds United and a four-point spread to their hosts astatine the acme of the table, Burnley volition purpose to marque it 3 consecutive victories and 10 games unbeaten to constrictive their spread to apical spot.

Sheffield United Championship form:

Burnley Championship form:

Team News

© Imago

Sheffield United volition stay without defender Femi Seriki, midfielder Oliver Arblaster and attacker Tyrese Campbell owed to wounded issues connected Thursday, though they whitethorn beryllium boosted by the returns of Anel Ahmedhodzic and Vinicius Souza astatine the backmost and successful midfield respectively.

Jack Robinson and Harry Souttar whitethorn proceed successful the mediate of the defence if Ahmedhodzic is not deemed acceptable to diagnostic from the start, portion Souza volition anticipation to rejoin either Tom Davies oregon Sydie Peck, who person partnered up successful the motor country for the Blades' past 2 outings being a brace of 2-0 wins.

Kieffer Moore volition proceed to pb the line, having netted a brace past clip successful his archetypal commencement pursuing an wounded layoff to determination onto 5 league goals for the season, portion Gustavo Hamer, Callum O'Hare and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi volition anticipation to proceed successful enactment contempt contention from Rhian Brewster and Andre Brooks.

Burnley proceed to contend with respective wounded issues of their own, with Jordan Beyer, Aaron Ramsey, Lyle Foster, Manuel Benson and Jeremy Sarmiento acceptable to stay confined to the attraction room.

Jay Rodriguez and Zian Flemming volition vie to pb the enactment successful their 4-2-3-1 setup, portion Luca Koleosho could instrumentality to articulation Josh Brownhill and Jaidon Anthony successful support, aft the brace some got connected the scoresheet past play leaving Brownhill connected 8 goals for the season.

Behind them, Josh Laurent volition proceed to articulation Josh Cullen successful the motor room, portion Connor Roberts, CJ Egan-Riley, Maxime Esteve and Bashir Humphreys should again enactment up successful a backmost 4 contempt contention from Joe Worrall and erstwhile Sheffield United skipper John Egan.

Sheffield United imaginable starting lineup:
Cooper; Gilchrist, Souttar, Robinson, Burrows; Souza, Davies; Rak-Sakyi, O'Hare, Hamer; Moore

We say: Sheffield United 1-0 Burnley

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