Sheffield United vs Brighton & Hove Albion

Sheffield United and Brighton & Hove Albion are set to trade tackles at Bramall Lane in a tasty-looking Premier League clash.

Sheffield United’s disastrous Premier League campaign saw a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel last weekend as they thumped Luton Town 3-1 at Kenilworth Road to regain some confidence ahead of the crunch time of the 2023/24 season. But with only three wins from 24 matchdays (D4, L17), the Blades start this round nailed to the bottom of the table, seven points adrift of 17th-placed Luton. Bramall Lane was supposed to be United’s safe haven at the start of the season, yet only Burnley (5) have accumulated fewer home points than Chris Wilder’s side this season (8). Brighton’s upcoming visit potentially bodes well for the hosts’ bid to improve their dismal top-flight record at Bramall Lane (W2, D2, L8), as they’ve won two of the last three league H2Hs they’ve hosted (D1).

On the other hand, Brighton lost further ground on the European qualification spots last weekend after a last-gasp 2-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur extended their deficit on sixth-placed Manchester United to six points. It’s been an abysmal start to the new calendar year for the ‘Seagulls’ as they’ve only won once in their five Premier League outings in 2024 (D1, L3), losing both away matches by a combined score of 6-1. That’s not a good omen for the Seagulls, particularly considering they’re winless in all five previous Premier League encounters against United (D3, L2). As if that’s not troubling enough, Roberto De Zerbi’s men have emerged victorious from just one of their last ten away league games (D3, L6), not to mention failed to find the net on three of their five most recent top-flight travels.