West Bromwich Albion vs Sheffield United – Preview | OneFootball

Sunday afternoon sees seventh placed West Bromwich Albion host top of the table Sheffield United at the Hawthorns.

West Brom head into this contest with three straight draws under their belt – they’ve drawn nine of their last ten games which has seen them drop out of the playoff spots of late.

United have picked up seven points from their last three games even despite playing with ten men in two of those games. They are riding a seven-match unbeaten run in which five of those have also included a clean sheet.

Transfer Business

Albion had a good transfer window without splashing too much cash. Firstly, keeping players such as Grady Diangana, Alex Mowatt and Jason Molumby was huge this summer as all three have proven their quality in the Championship over a number of seasons. So, it was just about adding to an already strong squad.

Bringing back Michael Johnston was a great piece of business by the club, with the Irishman providing seven goals and one assist in 15 appearances during his short loan spell last season. At one point in the summer window the Blades were strongly linked with the former Celtic window before West Brom penned a deal for the 25-year-old.

The addition of Norwegian international defender Torbjorn Heggem on a very cheap fee was smart business by West Brom. At just 25 years of age, Heggem is showing all the capabilities of being a future Premier League defender. It’s becoming a trend now at elite level to have tall central defenders play as a full-back (or false-back) if they have the pace and technical ability to fulfill that role, and Heggem fits that bill.

Team News

Carlos Corberan is still contending with multiple injuries. Experienced Championship defenders Semi Ajayi and Paddy McNair are set to miss out once more this weekend because of hamstring injuries. Meanwhile, powerful striker Daryl Dike is still out injured with his Achilles tendon injury.

Chris Wilder has a massive selection headache ahead of this weekend; he will be without his two main centre-backs, with Anel Ahmedhodzic serving the final match of his suspension, and Harry Souttar serving his one-match ban. The Blades could see Rhys Norrington-Davies line up alongside Jack Robinson, or they could potentially play Alfie Gilchrist alongside Robinson, which could open up another opportunity for Femi Seriki to impress.

Kieffer Moore and Rhian Brewster are still recovering from their injuries, which were previously described as minor, despite missing four and five games since being confirmed as injured. But with a full week without a game, the long week could have come at the right time for both to return to the matchday squad on Sunday.

Oliver Arblaster will potentially miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

LUTON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 01: Josh Maja of West Bromwich Albion competes for the ball against Tom Krauss of Luton Town FC during the Sky Bet Championship match between Luton Town FC and West Bromwich Albion FC at Kenilworth Road on November 01, 2024 in Luton, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

West Bromwich Albion’s Star Player For This Game

Josh Maja has had a sensational start to the season having scored ten goals in 18 appearances. He is one of the most clinical forwards in the Championship this season, ranking in the 99th percentile for goals per shot on target, according to FBref.

Even though Maja is not known for his aerial ability, four of his ten league goals have come via a header. With the potential for Rhys Norrington-Davies to be playing centre-back, perhaps crosses to the far post from their left could be an opportunity for them to exploit.

What Maja is definitely known for though is his ability to run beyond the defensive line and beat players with his burst of pace. If it’s Maja vs Robinson in this situation then you’d have to fancy Maja getting the better of him.

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 01: Callum O’Hare of Sheffield United and Tom Dele-Bashiru of Watford compete for the ball during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield United FC and Watford FC at Bramall Lane on September 01, 2024 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

Sheffield United’s Star Player For This Game

On paper, I like the idea of Callum O’Hare having a big part to play in this game, or potentially if Tom Davies starts, as they both have the ability to split lines with their ball carrying, and tend to play quick and short passes.

If O’Hare (or Davies) can regularly get beyond West Brom’s midfield pivot then it’s bound to lead to success for the away side. Additionally, the energy of O’Hare off the ball could lead to opportunities as Kyle Bartley isn’t the quickest of defenders in terms of actual speed and playing out from the back; there is potential to press him and create turnovers/mistakes.

My View

Even though their form hasn’t been the best, I still rate West Brom’s team and their manager, and I expect them to boss the game early on before the Blades begin to grow into it.

The worrying thing for me entering this game is that West Brom rank sixth in the league for accurate crosses and fourth for accurate through balls, so a makeshift defence will be tested, especially against the third-best team in the division at producing heading goals.

In addition, the home side are dangerous from set-pieces, creating 0.36xG per game, the fifth-highest in the league.

My Prediction

The Baggies’ home games have been quite boring in truth, seeing just seven goals in eight games (four scored, three conceded). This game on Sunday could follow that same trend given both sides match up with each other fairly well.

Eight of West Brom’s last ten games have seen under 2.5 goals, and United have won by a goal to nil five times, and this could be the likely score line on Sunday afternoon.

My prediction is a 1-0 Sheffield United win to keep the Blades at the top of the table after 19 games.