[Albion] Sheffield United vs Brighton & Hove Albion * Official Match Thread *

Dick Head · Apr 24, 2021

Sheffield United v Albion

PREMIER LEAGUE

Venue: Bramall Lane
Date: Saturday 24th April 2021
Kick-off: 20:00 BST
Referee: Kevin Friend
Assistants: Simon Beck, Darren Cann
Fourth Official: Tony Harrington
VAR: Michael Oliver
Additional VAR: Andrew Halliday

TEAM NEWS

Sheffield United caretaker manager Paul Heckingbottom expects to select from the same squad as for the defeat by Wolves.

Midfielder Sander Berge could return from a serious hamstring injury before the end of the season.

Brighton centre-back Ben White serves a one-match ban as a consequence of his red card against Chelsea.

Percy Tau is in contention to return to the squad after missing out in midweek because of a tight hamstring.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

[*=left]Brighton's solitary victory in the past 11 league meetings came at Bramall Lane in the Championship in January 2005 (D4, L6).
[*=left]Last season was the first time Sheffield United and Brighton were in the top flight together. They drew 1-1 at Bramall Lane in February 2020.

Sheffield United

[*=left]The Blades are only the third club to lose as many as 26 of their first 32 fixtures of a league season, emulating Doncaster Rovers in 1904-05 and Darwen in 1898-99. They both lost their 33rd match too.
[*=left]Sheffield United have equalled the club record for most league defeats in a season. They previously lost 26 in the 1975-76 top flight and 2010-11 Championship.
[*=left]The Premier League record for most defeats in a season is 29. The top-flight record is 31, set by Stoke City in 1984-85, which was a 42-match season.
[*=left]All four of Sheffield United's league wins have come in midweek games. Their record at the weekend this season is two draws and 21 defeats.
[*=left]Paul Heckingbottom can become the first person to lose his first five Premier League matches as a manager since Scott Parker at Fulham two years ago.

Albion

[*=left]The Seagulls have equalled their club top-flight record of five away victories in a season, first set in 1981-82.
[*=left]Brighton are winless in all seven league matches this season against the teams currently below them in the table, drawing six and losing the other.
[*=left]In 2021, only Chelsea and Manchester City have kept more Premier League clean sheets than Brighton's tally of eight.
[*=left]Graham Potter's first game as a manager in English football was Swansea's 2-1 Championship victory away to Sheffield United in August 2018.

Graham Potter's Sheffield United Press Conference

Icy Gull · Apr 24, 2021

First time for a long long time that I am actually feeling confident of a win before a ball is kicked...and yes I do know what happens :smile:

Goldstone1976 · Apr 24, 2021

Icy Gull said:
First time for a long long time that I am actually feeling confident of a win before a ball is kicked...and yes I do know what happens

FFS. I had this as a nailed on draw prior to seeing your post. If we go down due to the point you’ve just caused us to drop I’ll be blaming you.

Solid at the back · Apr 24, 2021

Win and we're safe, let's get over the finishing line

BN41Albion · Apr 24, 2021

Icy Gull said:
First time for a long long time that I am actually feeling confident of a win before a ball is kicked...and yes I do know what happens

These are the games I always have less confidence in. I never trust us to do the business when it comes to games like this - with good reason to be fair! Although we turned Newcastle over at least the other week.

um bongo molongo · Apr 24, 2021

This is a scary stat:
Brighton are winless in all seven league matches this season against the teams currently below them in the table, drawing six and losing the other.

Wheel drawer

Perfidious Albion · Apr 24, 2021

I am not confident of this at all. Sheffield U. are now confirmed as relegated, that takes a load off their shoulders and they can play more relaxed. They will want to prove something, that they are not as bad as they look. They will be hard, resolute and determined. Tough so and so’s up there......just the kind of team that the Albion struggle against .
Another nil nil would not surprise me, although of course I want to see a glorious victory.
3 points would make a super Saturday night........

(NB.. thanks for the thread Dick, you do a great job)

scooter1 · Apr 24, 2021

I’m hoping that now Sheff U are relegated this will give them a little more freedom to play, thus opening things up. The bus parking they performed at the Amex was a hard watch, but they were scrapping for points. If they open up, we’ll have a far better chance this time around

Guinness Boy · Apr 24, 2021

Perfidious Albion said:
I am not confident of this at all. Sheffield U. are now confirmed as relegated, that takes a load off their shoulders and they can play more relaxed. They will want to prove something, that they are not as bad as they look. They will be hard, resolute and determined. Tough so and so’s up there......just the kind of team that the Albion struggle against .
Another nil nil would not surprise me, although of course I want to see a glorious victory.
3 points would make a super Saturday night........

(NB.. thanks for the thread Dick, you do a great job)

Not sure I agree. Sheffield United have been all but down for most of the season but the death knell really sounded when Wilder left. Heckingbottom is now building for next season by trying to get a side that fouled, long balled and overlapped itself nearly to Europe last season to play decent passing football.

Last season when faced with Norwich away they stuck to their footballing guns and Potter had a plan to easily beat them. If Sheffield United come after us with that squad we'll take them to bits, If they sit centrally and in a low block like they did at The Amex after going down to 10 men then we'll certainly struggle and we could be on for another bore draw but if they have a go, as you suggest, then I'm not worried at all.

The Optimist · Apr 24, 2021

um bongo molongo said:
This is a scary stat:
Brighton are winless in all seven league matches this season against the teams currently below them in the table, drawing six and losing the other.

Wheel drawer

This is what’s cost us mid table security. Find a way to win some of these games next season and we can start looking up the table not down.

Happy Exile · Apr 24, 2021

This is a game where I have no idea what to expect and find impossible to anticipate what might happen. Standard for this season in other words.

bluenitsuj · Apr 24, 2021

3 points today. No excuses

bomber130 · Apr 24, 2021

We have actually now lost less games than anyone outside the top 8.

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Motogull · Apr 24, 2021

um bongo molongo said:
This is a scary stat:
Brighton are winless in all seven league matches this season against the teams currently below them in the table, drawing six and losing the other.

Wheel drawer

That's a sorry state of affairs. Equally weird though is that the wankpuffins have not beaten a single team that sat above them in the table at kick off this season. The point being, they have taken their points from the teams they needed too whereas we have done it the hard way.

Paulie Gualtieri · Apr 24, 2021

They have nothing to play for but pride and hopefully will be relaxed enough to not sit back, which does a favour.

Let’s open them up 3-0 to the Albion

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Official Old Man · Apr 24, 2021

Why are we even worried? A lots been said about the Fulham Newcastle last game but Fulham also play Burnley at home.
So should Fulham pull themselves out of the drop it will be at the expense of one of those two. So we should be as relaxed as any team.
WBA need to win 4 of their last 6. Arise Sir Big Sam? I think not.
3 points.

Beach Hut · Apr 24, 2021

So excited

Wrong-Direction · Apr 24, 2021

0 - 3

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Trevor · Apr 24, 2021

not feeling confident - prove me wrong Albion

Stat Brother · Apr 24, 2021

As good a place as any

Dunno whether to laugh or cry

[tweet]1385643379015385092[/tweet]

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[Albion] Sheffield United vs Brighton & Hove Albion *** Official Match Thread ***

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[Albion] Sheffield United vs Brighton & Hove Albion * Official Match Thread *