Sheffield United play host to Hull City on Tuesday evening looking to extend their unbeaten streak in the Championship to seven matches.
While the Blades currently occupy eighth position in the standings, Hull are down in 19th place after losing three games in succession.
Match preview
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Such has been Sheffield United's form of late that Paul Heckingbottom would have been disappointed to only claim a goalless draw at Huddersfield Town on Saturday.
However, with the Terriers having been unfortunate to have a goal disallowed in the first half, Heckingbottom may eventually reflect on the result as a point gained against a playoff rival, one which keeps their fate in their own hands.
The battle for the top six is changing on a weekly basis but with Sheffield United having games in hand on each of the seven clubs above them, they will be very much back on track if they can see off Hull.
Although the goals are still not following like earlier in the season, Sheffield United now have four clean sheets from five outings, and they also still have 11 fixtures at Bramall Lane to look forward to this campaign.
Already on a three-match winning streak at their Yorkshire home, that may eventually prove to be the difference maker, but their next opponents will hope to derail their ambitions to return to the Premier League.
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Returning just three points from his opening four Championship fixtures, Shota Arveladze will be unhappy with how his team have started life under his guidance.
Nevertheless, the Tigers gave a solid account of themselves against leaders Fulham on Saturday, leaving supporters far more optimistic than they were after recent defeats to Preston North End and Derby County.
Fortunately for Hull, they remain 12 points clear of the relegation zone, but there will be no complacency from the new boss or his squad as they bid to impress the new owners.
Hull have been a streaky team all season, and their current losing streak represents the fifth time that they have lost at least three matches in a row.
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Team News
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Heckingbottom is likely to rotate his Sheffield United XI with Oliver Norwood and Iliman Ndiaye both in contention to return to the side.
John Fleck and Morgan Gibbs-White, who came through 72 minutes on his first start after a knee injury, may be the players to drop down to the substitutes' bench.
With David McGoldrick and Rhian Brewster out injured, Daniel Jebbison may be given an opportunity ahead of Oliver McBurnie in attack.
Having been left impressed by his team's performance versus Fulham, any changes made by Arveladze could be down to fresh legs.
Greg Docherty could replace Regan Slater in midfield, while Tom Eaves and Allahyar Sayyadmanesh could return to the substitutes' bench after minor injuries.
Tom Huddlestone and Liam Walsh are also both options if Arveladze chooses to recall the pair to the squad.
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Foderingham; Basham, Egan, Robinson; Bogle, Berge, Norwood, Baldock; Ndiaye; Jebbison, Sharp
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Ingram; Coyle, McLoughlin, Greaves, Fleming; Longman, Smallwood, Slater, Lewis-Potter; Honeyman; Forss
We say: Sheffield United 2-0 Hull City
Having produced an improved showing against Fulham, Hull will be optimistic about causing a surprise at Bramall Lane. However, despite drawing a blank at the weekend, we cannot look past this Blades side, who we expect to put in a professional display to claim another win and clean sheet.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Sheffield United win with a probability of 60.24%. A draw had a probability of 23.2% and a win for Hull City had a probability of 16.56%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sheffield United win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.81%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (12.08%) and 2-1 (9.54%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.9%), while for a Hull City win it was 0-1 (6.23%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 7.9% likelihood.
