Sheffield United vs Newcastle
Premier League
Sunday
24th September 2023
Bramall Lane
The most comprehensive preview, detailed analysis and reliable predictions of game week 6 of the Premier League fixture between Sheffield United and Newcastle.
Sheffield United vs Newcastle: Preview
Sheffield United form analysis
The Blades have had a difficult start to life back in the Premier League, winning just one of their opening five matches. They lost 1-0 away at Crystal Palace in their opener, and followed that up with a 2-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest despite Hamer equalizing. A creditable 1-2 loss away to champions Manchester City came next, with Bogle briefly pegging City back after Haaland’s opener.
Sheffield then claimed their first point of the season at home to Everton in a 2-2 draw, coming from behind through goals from Archer and a Pickford own goal. Most recently however, they suffered a late heartbreak away at Spurs – taking a shock 1-0 lead through Hamer before conceding twice in injury time to lose 2-1.
Overall, Sheffield have competed well in most games but lacked a cutting edge upfront. Their defending has also been inconsistent, conceding late goals on multiple occasions already. Scoring goals and tightening up defensively are clearly areas manager Paul Heckingbottom needs to address. But there have been promising signs, including the performances of summer signing Archer.
Newcastle form analysis
Newcastle began the Premier League season with a narrow 1-0 loss away to Man City, putting in a solid defensive display before conceding to Alvarez. They followed that up with a credible 1-2 home loss to Liverpool, taking the lead through Gordon before a late Nunez double.
Defensive weaknesses were then badly exposed in a 3-1 defeat away at Brighton, with Ferguson netting a hat-trick. Newcastle did bounce back to beat Brentford 1-0 at home, grinding out the win thanks to a Wilson penalty. Most recently they ground out a valuable 0-0 draw away at AC Milan in the Champions League, gaining a point despite not creating much.
Overall, Newcastle have been fairly solid defensively but lacked cutting edge in attack. The Brighton match exposed issues at the back that need addressing. Going forward, they’ve struggled to create clear chances, with Wilson not getting much service. The draw at Milan was encouraging though and a sign they can compete with top European sides this season.
