Fixtures
- Sheffield United Vs. Aston Villa – Sat, Feb 3rd 2024, 17:30
At A Glance
Aston Villa travel to Bramall Lane on Saturday for a Premier League match against Sheffield United.
Unai Emery’s team will be looking to improve on the recent form that’s seen them win one of their last five top flight outings.
Despite a 3-1 loss to Newcastle United in midweek, Villa head into the weekend in fifth place as they look to keep pace with the top four.
United came close to taking all three points when the sides met at Villa Park in December before Nicolò Zaniolo rescued a 1-1 draw.
Since then, the Blades have taken a single point from four league matches and remain rooted to the bottom of the table.
Chris Wilder’s team are nine points adrift of safety with 16 matches to play.
Standout Stats
Both of Sheffield United’s Premier League victories in 11 attempts against Aston Villa came under Chris Wilder in the two most recent meetings at Bramall Lane: 2-0 in December 2019 and 1-0 in March 2021.
Villa’s last top-flight away victory in this fixture came in April 1994.
Sheffield United have 10 points – no team with fewer than 13 after 22 Premier League matches of a season has gone on to avoid relegation.
United have kept just one top-flight clean sheet this season and conceded 54 goals, the second highest tally ever at this stage of a Premier League season. Barnsley had let in 57 goals after 22 games in 1997-98.
Aston Villa can keep four successive away clean sheets in all competitions for the first time since September to November 2020 under Dean Smith.
Oli McBurnie has scored in each of his last four home league outings, though the Blades haven’t won any of them.
Ben Brereton Diaz can emulate Brian Deane by scoring in each of his first three Premier League appearances for Sheffield United. The first league goal of Brereton’s career was a 93rd-minute winner in Nottingham Forest’s 2-1 home victory against Aston Villa in the Championship on 4 February 2017.
Villa’s only league victory in the past five attempts came against Burnley on 30 December courtesy of an 89th-minute penalty scored by Douglas Luiz.
The Blades have lost 30 of their 39 most recent Premier League fixtures under Chris Wilder (W5, D4).
Ollie Watkins has now scored at least 10 goals in each of his first four seasons in the top flight. The last English players to achieve that feat were Robbie Fowler (1993-94 to 1996-97) and Alan Shearer (first five from 1992-93 to 1996-97).
The Last Meeting
Nicolò Zaniolo came off the bench to score his first Premier League goal and rescue a point against Sheffield United at Villa Park in December.
The Italian glanced home Douglas Luiz’s cross in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time.
It was attack versus defence for the majority of the match as the Blades sat deep before former Villan Cameron Archer struck with a goal after 87 minutes.
Team News
Nicolò Zaniolo has been added to Villa’s list of absentees after sustaining an injury in training.
He joins Pau Torres, Lucas Digne, Emi Buendia, Jhon Duran and Tyrone Mings on the sidelines.
The Blades will have Ben Brereton Diaz available after he took a knock in midweek.
No.1 Ivo Grbic has been ruled out, joining George Baldock, Chris Basham and John Egan among others on the injury list.
The Boss
“Tomorrow in Sheffield is a very important match for us after the defeat we had at home to Newcastle. We are realy excited and motivated to play tomorrow. The most important thing is how we can face the match and our preparation for the match. We worked this morning and we’re going to travel after lunch. We are going to try to focus 100% on the match and it’s very important. It’s difficult as well because playing away is always difficult.” – Unai Emery
