Sheffield United and Newcastle United

Bramall Lane is the venue as Sheffield United and Newcastle United go head-to-head in an exciting Premier League fixture.

Despite leading Sheffield United to Premier League promotion only last season, manager Paul Heckingbottom faces an uncertain future in Yorkshire after his side slumped to a dreadful five-game winless top-flight start (D1, L4). The ‘Blades’ were minutes away from upsetting the apple cart last weekend, but Tottenham scored twice beyond the 97th minute to beat them 2-1 in London and keep them pinned to the relegation zone. The early goings bear much resemblance to Sheffield’s most recent Premier League campaign, as they failed to win any of their opening six matches in 2020/21, setting the tone for a fateful relegation season. If it’s any consolation, one of their rare successes back then was a 1-0 home win over Newcastle.

On the other hand, Newcastle United got away with a highway robbery at San Siro in midweek Champions League action, holding AC Milan to a goalless draw despite facing numerous shots on target. That was at least their second consecutive clean sheet following last weekend’s narrow 1-0 home league win over Brentford, having conceded at least once in four previous matches beforehand. However, Eddie Howe’s men have stuttered on the road this season, losing both Premier League games on hostile turf by a combined score of 4-1. Yet, to score an away first-half goal, the ‘Magpies’ must find a way to tilt the scales in their favor after going winless on their last four Premier League travels (D2, L2).