Premier League high-flyers Aston Villa will endeavour to climb to the top of the table when they welcome basement club Sheffield United to Villa Park on Friday night.
The two teams meet for the first time since March 2021 when the Blades claimed a slender 1-0 victory at Bramall Lane under current boss Chris Wilder.
Match preview
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Not even the most ardent of Aston Villa supporters would have envisaged their club sitting second in the Premier League table and in with a chance of ending the year at the summit, but Unai Emery's men continue to go from strength to strength and have shown early signs of their potential for a surprise title charge.
The Lions have won five and drawn one of their last six top-flight games, winning each of their last three by a one-goal margin, including last weekend's hard-fought 2-1 victory at Brentford in which Alex Moreno and ex-Bees forward Ollie Watkins scored in the final 13 minutes, capitalising on Ben Mee's earlier dismissal, to snatch three valuable points.
Aston Villa will welcome a return to home soil where they have won a club record 15 Premier League games in a row, scoring 39 goals and keeping eight clean sheets in the process – only Liverpool (24 between 2019 and 2020), Manchester City (20 between 2011 and 2012) and Manchester United (19 between 2010 and 2011) have ever boasted a longer winning home run in Premier League history.
The last two matches at Villa Park have seen Emery and co register impressive 1-0 triumphs over reigning champions Man City and last season's runners-up Arsenal, and the Lions will be confident of putting Sheffield United to the sword on Friday as they have won their last five meetings with promoted sides.
Villa are also unbeaten in their last 14 home league encounters with Sheffield United, although three of their last four such meetings have ended as a draw, so they cannot take Wilder's rejuvenated Blades outfit lightly on Friday.
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After claiming all three points in a much-needed 1-0 home victory over Brentford, Sheffield United had their tails up heading to an out-of-sorts Chelsea outfit last weekend, but their dogged display was ultimately in vain as they were beaten 2-0 in dominant fashion by the West Londoners.
Second-half strikes from Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson condemned Wilder to his second defeat in three games since his return to the Blades, who remain rooted to the foot of the table, level on points with 19th-placed Burnley and six points adrift of safety.
Few would have anticipated Sheffield United to claim positive results in tricky fixtures against Chelsea and Liverpool – losing 2-0 at home to the latter in Wilder's baptism of fire – and they conclude the year with two more challenging encounters against Aston Villa and Man City either side of a potentially pivotal meeting with Luton Town at Bramall Lane.
The Blades have picked up just one point across eight matches on the road since securing promotion to the Premier League, scoring the fewest away goals (four) and conceded the most (22) on their travels during this period, but there is reason to be optimistic ahead of Friday's trip to Villa Park.
Indeed, Sheffield United have kept a clean sheet in three of their last four meetings with Aston Villa, collecting five Premier League points in the process, while a 1-0 loss in September 2020 represents the Blades' only defeat in their last five visits to the West Midlands club in all competitions.
Team News
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Aston Villa are still having to cope without Tyrone Mings, Emiliano Buendia (both knee), Bertrand Traore (muscle) and Robin Olsen (unspecified) due to injury, while Pau Torres and Youri Tielemans are both doubtful and will be assessed ahead of kickoff, the latter of whom missed the win at Brentford.
Boubacar Kamara will serve a three-match suspension following his straight red card last weekend, but Douglas Luiz and Lucas Digne are both available to return from one-match bans; Luiz will presumably replace Kamara in centre-midfield while Digne faces competition from Moreno to start at left-back.
Leon Bailey will be pushing to return to the first XI at the expense of either Matty Cash or Moussa Diaby, while Watkins, who has failed to score in all five previous meetings with Sheffield United, will be looking to break his duck against the Blades on Friday.
As for the visitors, Chris Basham (ankle), John Egan (foot), Tom Davies, Rhys Norrington-Davies, Rhian Brewster (all thigh) and Daniel Jebbison (illness) all remain in the treatment room.
However, Jack Robinson is available to return from a one-match suspension served last weekend and is expected to replace Auston Trusty at centre-back.
Twenty-year-old Andre Brooks has started each of the last three games since the return of Wilder, and the midfielder could retain his place in the first XI alongside Vinicius Souza and Gustavo Hamer as James McAtee and Cameron Archer provide support in attack for Oli McBurnie.
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Moreno; Cash, Luiz, Ramsey, McGinn; Diaby, Watkins
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Foderingham; Bogle, Ahmedhodzic, Robinson, Lowe; McAtee, Souza, Brooks, Hamer, Archer; McBurnie
We say: Aston Villa 3-0 Sheffield United
Sheffield United have looked a tighter unit at the back since Wilder's return and their recent defensive record against Aston Villa bodes well ahead of Friday's contest.
However, it is difficult to back against a rampant Villa outfit who have looked unstoppable on home soil for some time, and Emery's men should have the firepower to breach the Blades' backline en route to claiming all three points to climb to the Premier League summit.
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Top tip
Oliver Thomas
