It is a David versus Goliath clash when Bottom-placed Sheffield United travel to Premier League table-topping Liverpool. Here is a preview.
Liverpool are in action against lowly Sheffield United as the league season enters its critical stage, points are essential which will not be lost on both clubs given their standings.
The Reds beat Sheffield United 2-0 in Chris Wilder's first game back in charge of the Blades in December thanks to Virgil van Dijk's goal and Dominik Szoboszlai’s late strike.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have been magnificent this season despite an opening draw against Chelsea that did little to hint at what was to come. Liverpool won all of their next five league games and the eventual defeat to Tottenham Hotspur was a vindication of their resilience as poor officiating cost them points despite having two players sent off.
While they beat Everton, Nottingham Forest, and Brentford, draws against Brighton, Luton Town, and Manchester City highlighted the teething issues they had while bedding in a new midfield. December nevertheless started with consecutive wins against Fulham, Sheffield United, and Crystal Palace but they drew key head-to-head clashes against Manchester United and Arsenal.
Liverpool then beat Burnley 2-0 on Boxing Day before getting the better of Newcastle in a New Year’s Day epic. After getting past Arsenal and Fulham in the cups, the Reds also beat Bournemouth 4-0 thanks to two goals each from Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota.
Klopp then announced his decision to step down as Liverpool manager at the end of the campaign to put an end to an eight-and-a-half-year managerial reign. It hence promises to be an emotional finale as the Kop look to send the club legend off on a high.
Liverpool thrashed Norwich 5-2 in the FA Cup Fourth Round while they also tore Chelsea apart at Anfield thanks to a 4-1 scoreline. Meanwhile, Klopp’s side were dealt a blow in their pursuit of the Premier League title in a 3-1 defeat at Arsenal that allowed both the Gunners and Manchester City to close the gap.
While they remain top of the pile, the manner of their defeat to Mikel Arteta’s side will have been worrying but they should quickly bounce back.
Nevertheless, Liverpool have conceded only once in five Premier League games against Sheffield and they must extend their winning record against Chris Wilder’s side.
Sheffield United have struggled to leave the foot of the table since getting promoted back to the top flight after starting the 2023-24 season very poorly. They lost their first three matches to Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Manchester City with the latter two being decided by late winning goals.
Everton pegged them back for their first point of the season but they failed to build on it with six consecutive defeats thereafter. Sheffield finally grabbed their first win at the 11th attempt with Cameron Archer and Oliver Norwood netting late on against Wolves.
They also forced a draw against 10-man Brighton but lost the next two against Bournemouth and relegation rivals Burnley. The 5-0 defeat to the Clarets was particularly damaging as after one win and two draws in their first 14 games, the club decided to sack Paul Heckingbottom and replace him with his predecessor, Chris Wilder.
Wilder’s return match was a tough fixture against Liverpool which they lost 2-nil but James McAtee’s goal was enough to beat Brentford thereafter. A trip to Chelsea unsurprisingly ended in favour of the Blues and they were very close to ending Aston Villa’s long unbeaten run at home until Nicolo Zaniolo’s last-gasp equaliser.
Sheffield continued to suffer ill luck with a showdown against Luton Town, after doing well to come from behind, they scored two own goals to earn the Hatters a 3-2 win at Bramall Lane. The year 2023 then ended with a trip to Manchester City where they left with a 2-0 defeat against the Premier League champions.
Their FA Cup campaign got off to the perfect start with a 4-0 win at Gillingham but their survival quest in the league resumed with a 2-2 draw against West Ham. After losing 5-2 to Brighton in the FA Cup, Sheffield lost to Crystal Palace by the odd goal then got thumped 5-0 at home to Aston Villa.
The Blades find themselves in a position where they have nothing to lose and they must carry that fearlessness into big matches such as the one against Liverpool. It is imperative that they keep the belief and give their fans something to cheer about for the rest of the campaign.
Match tickets
This Premier League game takes place on Wednesday, April 3 2024 with kick-off scheduled for 7 PM UK time. Match tickets are available for sale on each club’s website but you can expect them to be quickly sold out.
Given this is officially Jurgen Klopp’s farewell tour, no Reds fan will be willing to miss any single game and the atmosphere at Anfield will only go up a notch with the hope of winning the league. This is why match tickets are set to be scarce through official sources and travelling supporters who do not have a season ticket may find it difficult to get a ticket for this game.
Those looking for Liverpool vs Sheffield United tickets are advised to extend their search to a ticket resale site.
Team news
Liverpool continues to be plagued by injury woes. Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Thiago, Curtis Jones, Stefan Bajčetić, Joël Matip, Diogo Jota and Ben Doak are the other names currently in the treatment room.
Sheffield has the likes of Chris Basham, John Egan, George Baldock, Oliver McBurnie, Max Lowe, and Daniel Jebbison all unavailable.
Line-ups
Klopp has been able to do without key players at various points of this season but he will hope to be close to full-strength for the season’s run-in. Jota would be a welcome return to the side following his knee injury sustained against Brentford.
Liverpool: Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Endo, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Nunez, Diaz:
Wilder would be keen to get a solid performance out of his team and he can only achieve that with his best 11 available. Oli McBurnie could be a key presence up front, but the entire team has to contribute to any positive outcome.
Sheffield Utd: Foderingham; Bogle, Holgate, Ahmedhodzic, Trusty, Norrington-Davies; McAtee, Souza, Brooks, Diaz; McBurnie
Prediction
Liverpool should win this comfortably but they must be focused on the task as Sheffield will be well-motivated to cause an upset.
The Reds must be clinical which shouldn’t be a problem given the depth of their attacking talents while they aim to stay ahead of their title rivals. A comprehensive Liverpool victory awaits
Liverpool 3-0 Sheffield United
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