Sheffield United v Bournemouth (Paul Higham)

• 2pm BT Sport 1

It’s about time Chris Wilder and his Blades got a bit more respect in this league, there are pleasantries flying about but they seem to be a bit on the condescending side to me and many still don’t believe that Sheffield United can go the distance.

Three points here though and they will go above Tottenham and into fifth, just two points behind Chelsea in the final Champions League place. Now, they’re 16/1 and greater to finish in the top four and that may be just beyond them, but they should be getting confident of finishing in the top six (they’re 5/2 to do so).

Every single member of Wilder’s side know exactly what they have to do and when they’re supposed to do it, they know how to play, when to play and how to react in almost any situation, and that cohesion is why they’re flying high in the Premier League.

Certainly higher than Bournemouth, who have scrambled their way clear of the drop zone with two wins in three, but they were both at home. By contrast, they’ve got one win in nine away from the Vitality and are still well in trouble just a couple of points clear of the drop zone.

The Blades don’t run away with games by any means. They’ve won their last three Premier League games 1-0 and average precisely one goal per game at Bramall Lane – with six of nine wins this season coming by just one goal.

That looks likely to be the case again against a visiting side that have only scored ten goals on their travels and, while their need is seemingly greater on the surface, Wilder will know full well what three points will do in the table – the home side are more equipped in a dogfight and can just about edge it.

Prediction: Sheff Utd 1-0 Bournemouth

Best bet:

Key Opta stats

• Sheffield United have lost just one of their 15 previous league meetings with Bournemouth (W9 D5), going down 0-1 at home in August 1987 in the second tier.
• Bournemouth’s 1-1 draw with Sheffield United on the opening weekend ended a run of seven consecutive league defeats against the Blades.
• The last three league meetings between Sheffield United and Bournemouth at Bramall Lane have produced a total of 17 goals, with the Blades winning all three by an aggregate score of 11-6.
• Sheffield United’s Premier League games have seen fewer goals than any other side in the competition this season (49), with only Liverpool conceding fewer goals than the Blades (23). However, the Yorkshire side also haven’t scored more than once in any of their last eight league games.
• Bournemouth have won their last two Premier League games, as many as they had in their previous 17 in the competition (W2 D4 L11). They’ve not won three in a row within the same season since March 2016.
• Sheffield United have 36 points from their 25 Premier League games this season – just two fewer than they earned in the entirety of their last campaign in the competition (38 in 2006-07).
• Sheffield United have lost just seven of their 25 Premier League games this season, the fewest by a promoted side at this stage since Fulham in 2001-02 (6).
• Bournemouth have faced 32 shots from opponents’ high turnovers in the Premier League this season, more than any other side. They’d only faced 32 such attempts in the whole of the 2018-19 campaign (5th most).
• No Premier League side has benefitted from more Premier League own goals than Sheffield United this season (3, level with Brighton). Two of these three own goals have ended up being the winning goal in the game, including in their most recent match against Crystal Palace.
• Harry Wilson has scored 50% of Bournemouth’s 10 away goals in the Premier League this season. Only Teemu Pukki (67%) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (64%) have scored a higher share of their teams’ goals on the road this season.

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