There is one match left in the latest round of Premier League matches and it comes along in the Monday Night Football where the battle to beat the drop and to win the title is in the spotlight as Sheffield United host Arsenal.
Both these teams will be desperate for the points for their various needs so we should be in for a competitive game at Bramall Lane, one which could well go a long way to determining the fate of these two sides this term.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on the Monday Night Football programme which will be able to be viewed on the Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. The show begins at 6.30pm ahead of an 8pm kick off.
Sheffield United
On the face of it, it would appear that Sheffield United are already done and dusted for this season but if they have any fight about them then this is a match where they have to target in a way to look to get three points. The one thing we do know about the Blades is that the points returned to Everton last week means that draws are no use to Sheffield United from their home matches even if they are coming up against a team in the top four.
The obvious problem is that Sheffield United have only won three of their 26 matches this term and they are probably going to need to treble that tally between now and the end of the season if they are to remain in the Premier League. The other issue that the Blades need to solve is their ridiculous tendency to ship five or more goals in a game. They have done it six times this season including in the reverse fixture between these two and that is a recipe for disaster rather than success.
Arsenal
Arsenal head to Yorkshire in a much better frame of mind than their opponents. They are firmly in the title hunt, although having seen their rivals for the Premier League trophy win this weekend already, they are under pressure to answer in kind. The other thing which might go through their minds is that this division could well come down to goal difference at the end of the season and this could offer up a chance to give theirs a real boost.
Arsenal go into the match off the back of winning their last six matches in the Premier League and they have scored 25 goals in that time, 11 of them coming in the last two games on the road, so they are in excellent scoring form and now they take on a side who are on course to be the worst defensive team in the history of the Premier League. The one thing the Gunners need to guard against is a touch of complacency but you would imagine the weekend results will ensure that doesn’t happen.
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Team News
Sheffield United will be hoping to have Ben Brereton Diaz and George Baldock back in their ranks here with both having returned to training but Cameron Archer misses out through injury and Mason Holgate continues his suspension.
Arsenal are expected to have Thomas Partey available for selection for the first time since October and there is a chance that Gabriel Jesus will be involved in some capacity as well. Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu will face fitness tests.
Betting
It is hard to see anything other than a routine Arsenal win here. They have already thrashed Sheffield United this season and the Blades have started haemorrhaging goals at an alarming rate in 2024. They might choose to sit back and look to hit Arsenal on the break but Arsenal are perfectly adept in opening sides up with much more defensive quality and discipline than this Sheffield United one has, so that isn’t a tactic I expect to have too much joy for them.
Given the way rate that Arsenal are scoring at currently and the number that Sheffield United are conceding I am a little surprised that the Asian line only asks Arsenal to cover two goals. They won 5-0 in first gear really at The Emirates Stadium and in this six game winning burst they have won five by two or more, guaranteeing us a return of our stake at the very least by siding with Arsenal on the handicap. The one they didn’t win by two Nottingham Forest scored in the final minute. Unless they manage to frustrate Arsenal for an hour, and that takes some doing, I don’t see anything but a convincing Arsenal win who have already scored four at Luton and five at Burnley this term.
Tips
Back Arsenal (-2AH) to beat Sheffield United for a 3/10 stake at 1.84 with Bet365
