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Preview: Newcastle United eye safety when they host Sheffield United

By Durim Halimi

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 08: A general view inside the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Southampton FC at St. James Park on December 08, 2019 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 08: A general view inside the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Southampton FC at St. James Park on December 08, 2019 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) /
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Newcastle United will officially be considered safe if they can claim all three points against Sheffield United at St. James’ Park tomorrow.

Newcastle United are one win away from achieving Premier League safety, and they are also keen on claiming their second double of the season when they host Sheffield United at St. James’ Park. The Blades are knocking on the door of European football at the moment, and they hope to extend their undefeated streak to five games.

Where They Stand

Sheffield United

  • 7th, 43 points (Goal Differential: +5)
  • Recent Form: 3-1-1

Newcastle United

  • 13th, 35 points (Goal Differential: -16)
  • Recent Form: 1-2-2

Preview

At the time of this writing, the Premier League plans to move forward with several games this weekend, including Newcastle United vs. Sheffield United. It remains to be seen if league officials will change their stance later today after Arsenal’s manager Mikel Arteta tested positive for Coronavirus, and three Leicester City players are in isolation. For now, the game will continue as planned.

Newcastle United are coming off a 1-0 victory over Southampton, in which they earned their first double of the season, and the Magpies are hoping to claim their second double of the campaign against Sheffield United. The last time these teams met, goals from Allan Saint-Maximin and Jonjo Shelvey were enough to stun the Blades at Bramall Lane.

Both players are expected to start and cause problems for Sheffield United with their creativity on the ball. Newcastle United are the joint-lowest scoring team in the Premier League, so Shelvey and Saint-Maximin need to be at their best when it comes to orchestrating attacks in order for their side to have a decent chance at winning.

Sheffield United are far from an entertaining side as they have only scored five more goals than Newcastle United, but their organized defense, which has only conceded 25 goals (second-best tally in the top flight), is what keeps them in so many games.

Sheffield United are a dangerous team because they are unpredictable offensively. Opponents never know where the goals will come from, especially since the Blades are the only team that play with overlapping center-backs. Tomorrow’s game will be a close battle, but Newcastle United’s new attacking shape should force Sheffield United to defend much more than they did the first time these teams met.

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Predictions

Carson and I are both expecting a close game between two disciplined teams. Sheffield United are slight favorites in this clash, but Newcastle United have the right type of players to match the Blades’ aggressive style of play. See our predictions below:

  • Carson A. Merk: Newcastle United 1-0 Sheffield United
  • Durim Halimi: Newcastle United 2-1 Sheffield United