Sheffield United will host Luton Town in a relegation six-pointer in the Premier League. Chris Wilder’s comeback has given the Blades new life, but they are still bottom of the table. Their opponents triumphed emotionally in their last game before Christmas.
Preview (Sheffield United vs. Luton Town)
Sheffield United was left wondering what could have been after a thrilling draw at Villa Park last week. The Premier League’s bottom team momentarily threatened to snap Aston Villa’s impressive winning streak. But in the end, Nicolo Zaniolo’s stoppage-time equalizer negated a late Cameron Archer goal. Chris Wilder’s team just one point despite a strong defensive effort. Villa lost their opportunity to move atop the standings. They have now taken four points from their previous three games.
However, as they near the halfway point of their most recent comeback campaign, the Yorkshire team is still five points outside of safety and will have a difficult task ahead of them to ensure their survival. Playing a promoted team on Sheffield soil raises the stakes for their Boxing Day match. The last time United saw success in the top level was on December 26, 1990, when they defeated Luton Town. Since then, though, they have lost six games and failed to score five goals.
Town’s captain went into cardiac arrest during a later abandoned match against Burnley and received several accolades. The team’s valiant 1-0 victory was the ideal pick-me-up for the central defense. After a trying few days, coach Rob Edwards appeared pleased with his team’s performance as midfield maestro Ross Barkley and Jacob Brown both found the woodwork. Luton would hope to cap their Christmas schedule similarly after snapping a three-game losing streak. They closed the gap to just two points over 17th-place Nottingham Forest. A victory on Boxing Day would undoubtedly position them favorably for Saturday’s home match against Chelsea.
Team news
The Sheffield United team that was so close to victory in Birmingham on Friday night. They need to make at least one change under Chris Wilder. There aren’t many other choices to play in the middle. John Egan (foot) and Chris Basham (ankle) are still out, the Blades manager will be hoping to have Anel Ahmedhodzic return from injury. Scotland striker Oli McBurnie, who will likely start up front alongside Cameron Archer, has contributed directly to four goals in his last five Premier League games at Bramall Lane.
Gabriel Osho is expected to take over for the absent Tom Lockyer, the captain of Luton Town. Additionally, the visitors will be without both Dan Potts and Reece Burke because of thigh problems. Marvelous Nakamba, a midfielder for Zimbabwe, is back in the mix after serving a one-match suspension; however, Albert Sambi Lokonga may be kept on after assisting Ross Barkley with the engine room on Saturday. While Carlton Morris, a fellow forward, scored both of Luton’s goals against Sheffield United in the Championship last season—both at home and away—Elijah Adebayo is anticipated to play as a lone striker.
Sheffield United 1-0 Luton Town
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