Sheffield United vs Luton Town
Bramall Lane is the venue as newly-promoted rivals Sheffield United and Luton Town go head-to-head in a Premier League relegation six-pointer.
Sheffield United came minutes away from taking all three points at Villa Park last weekend, but conceding a 97th-minute equalizer saw them end Aston Villa’s 15-game winning home league run with a 1-1 draw. Despite a frustrating end product, it could be a significant morale boost for Chris Wilder’s troubled side as they start this round nailed to the bottom of the Premier League table after only winning twice in the first 18 rounds (D3, L13). As the only side yet to hit a 10-point barrier, the ‘Blades’ will be desperate to build on a narrow 1-0 victory against Brentford in their last home outing. Wilder’s appointment has been a resounding success, with United picking up four points in his first four games in charge (W1, D1, L2), only one fewer than across the opening 14.
Meanwhile, visiting Luton Town paid a fitting tribute to their recovering captain, Tom Lockyer, last weekend, overcoming a more heavily fancied Newcastle United 1-0 at Kenilworth Road to reduce the gap on 17th-placed Nottingham Forest to only two points. Perhaps more importantly, Rob Edwards’ men registered their first Premier League clean sheet of 2023/24 after conceding 2+ goals in three straight matches beforehand. Excluding the abandoned trip to Bournemouth from the equation, the ‘Hatters’ have lost six of their eight away league games this season (W1, D1), including the last three on the trot by a combined score of 7-2. Luton’s notoriously slow starts on the road have seen them concede the opening goal in seven of those eight away fixtures!