Liverpool vs Sheffield United preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Liverpool will aim to solidify their stay at the top of the Premier League table when they welcome Sheffield United to Anfield Stadium on Thursday. 

The Reds currently sit at the top of the table on 67 points, two more than Arsenal in second place and three above Manchester City in third.

Judging from City’s 2021-22 and 2018-19 League triumphs where they clinched the title with only one point lead, it is safe to say the title is Liverpool’s to lose with nine games left.

However, Jürgen Klopp’s side will need to scale through tough encounters against top-six opponents including Manchester United, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool’s stint at the top of the table will presumably depend on the number of points they get from these fixtures and they can’t afford to falter.

In their last outing, Liverpool came from behind for the seventh time this season to secure victory when they hosted Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.

Liverpool started on the back foot as Brighton dominated proceedings from the get-go and completely silenced the Kop when Danny Welbeck struck an exquisite strike to the top corner to give the Seagulls the lead after just 87 seconds.

With the League title on the horizon and a a lengthy 27-match unbeaten streak at Anfield on the brink of being broken, Klopp’s side were not going to end the half without putting up a fight. Momentum began to swing to the Merseyside club and they got a deserved equaliser through Luis Diaz.

One would think the Reds would resume the second half with their usual fast-paced passing sequence, rather the Reds orchestrated the pattern of their passes and press in phases. They deployed a heavy-metal press in Brighton’s half, with Alexis MacAlister pulling the strings, but were more composed in their half.

This pattern turned out to be a masterstroke from Klopp who played out of Brighton’s press with ease and were beginning to find openings in Brighton’s defence. The winning goal came in the 65th minute when MacAlister threaded a smooth pass to Mohamed Salah to score with his record 12th attempt on goal.

Chances flew to both sides but Liverpool ultimately secured all three points to gift Klopp his 300th victory as a Liverpool manager.

They now face bottom-of-the-table side, Sheffield, as they bid to secure their seventh consecutive victory against the Blades on Thursday.

With a meagre three wins and six draws in 29 matches this season, Sheffield are currently bottom of the League on 15 points, ten adrift of Nottingham Forest in 17th position.

All arrows are pointing towards the Championship for Chris Wilder’s side unless they invoke the near-impossible task of winning all their remaining matches which include Chelsea, Man Utd, Newcastle United and Spurs.

Sheffield’s leaky defence were laid bare in their last two Premier League outings where they let a two-goal lead against Bournemouth and Fulham slip.

Six goals scored, a two-goal lead, a comeback, and a stoppage-time equaliser were all witnessed in one of the most thrilling, pulsating second-half clashes at Bramall Lane on Saturday.

Ben Brererton Diaz opened the scoring for the Blades in the 58th minute before Fulham levelled four minutes later through Joao Palhinha.

Brereton Diaz turned provider this time when he fired a low cross for Olie McBurnie to restore the lead.

Brereton Diaz doubled his tally when he poked home a deep cross from Gustavo Hammer. After a lengthy review, the goal was awarded and Wilder’s side felt they had secured all three points.

However, woeful defending from the Blades allowed Fulham to get a goal back through Bobby Decordova-Reid and a moment of magic in stoppage time from Rodrigo Muniz levelled the scoring for the Cottagers as the Blades were left red-faced for letting a two-goal lead slip with 20 minutes to go.

They now face a free-scoring Liverpool side who will take no prisoners with fellow title contenders, Arsenal and Manchester City hot on their trail.

Liverpool vs Sheffield United match details

• Date: Thursday 4 April 2024
• Location: Liverpool, England
• Venue: Anfield Stadium
• Kick-off time: 19:30 GMT, 14:30 ET,  11:30 PT, 12 AM IST
• Referee: Stuart Attwell
• Assistant referees: James Mainwaring, and Richard West.
• Fourth official: Anthony Taylor
• VAR: Chris Kavanagh
• Assistant VAR: Mark Scholes
• Tickets: Supporters who want to be in the stands at Anfield can buy Liverpool tickets online at the club website or via resellers like Seatsnet.com.

Match stats and head-to-head

•Liverpool have defeated Sheffield in five of their last six matches and have kept clean sheets in all five.

•The Blades have failed to find the net in four of their last seven Premier League games.

•Liverpool are unbeaten against Sheffield since losing the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final clash in 2003. However, the Reds advanced to the next stage after defeating Sheffield in the second leg.

•These two teams have met 141 times in history with Liverpool holding the upper hand with 65 wins compared to Sheffield’s 45 while 31 draws have been recorded in this fixture.

•Wilder’s side have conceded at least two goals in eight of their last 10 matches in the Premier League.

•Sheffield have lost 10 of their last 12 matches at Anfield. The only exceptions were the 0:0 draw in March 1975 and the 2:1 win in April 1994.

•The Blades have amassed four points from their last three away matches, twice more than the total number of points they gathered from their first 11 away matches this season.

•More concerning for Klopp’s side is their defence. Liverpool’s backline have kept only one clean sheet in their last eight matches in the League and have conceded the first goal in 13 games so far this season.

Team news 

Liverpool are plagued with an array of injury concerns for a host of their players. First-choice goalkeeper, Alisson Becker remains out with a hamstring injury while Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic are out of contention with muscle and calf injuries respectively.

Vice-captain, Trent Alexander-Arnold along with Diogo Jota and Ben Doak are facing spells on the sidelines with knee injuries while Joel Matip remains the longest absentee with a season-ending knee injury.

In a boost for Klopp’s side, Andrew Robertson and Curtis Jones could feature against Sheffield after recovering from ankle and shin injuries but both players will undergo assessment to determine their availability ahead of the game.

Sheffield are also facing a range of injury problems in their squad. Club captain, John Egan along with Max Lowe and Chris Basham are all out with ankle injuries.

Daniel Jebbison is out with illness while Rhian Brewster will not feature against his former club after sustaining a hamstring injury.

Rhys Norrington-Davies and Tom Davies are also out of contention with hamstring injuries while Cameron Archer and George Baldock will not be available for selection with calf injuries.

On a positive note for Wilder’s side, Vinicius Souza is expected to feature against the Reds after being taken off in the 3:3 draw against Fulham with a cramp.

Predicted starting lineup

Liverpool predicted starting lineup:

Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Gomez; Szoboszlai, Endo, Mac Allister; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.

Sheffield United predicted starting lineup:

Grbic; Holgate, Ahmedhodzic, Robinson; Bogle, Souza, Norwood, Hamer, Osborn; Brereton Diaz, McBurnie.

Prediction

Liverpool have witnessed several upsets in recent seasons against relegation-bound teams such as the 3:0 loss to Watford in 2020 and the 2:1 loss at home to Leeds United in 2021.

Judging by the calibre and quality of their players, Sheffield are unlikely to cause any upset. With the League title on the cards, Liverpool are tipped to secure all three points.

We’re predicting a 3:0 win for Liverpool.