Sheffield United welcome West Ham United to Bramall Lane on Sunday afternoon still looking for their first Premier League win of the season.
The Hammers make the long trip to Yorkshire on the back of a last-gasp victory over Fulham before the international break, a result which moved the Hammers up to 12th position in the standings.
Match preview
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With five of Sheffield United's seven defeats in the Premier League this season coming by a one-goal margin, it would be harsh to overly criticise the performances of Chris Wilder's side.
Nevertheless, prevailing in such matches is what ensured that they remained in the top 10 throughout the last campaign, and Wilder will be desperate for his players to rediscover their cutting edge.
Even in the 4-1 reverse at Chelsea, there were positives to take, but their lack of threat in the final third is heaping extra pressure on a backline which is missing Jack O'Connell.
In theory, the big-money signing of Rhian Brewster from Liverpool looked to be the perfect addition, both in terms of the short and long-term development of a club eager to establish themselves in the top flight.
However, the England Under-21 international is yet to adapt to Premier League football, leaving Wilder to contemplate taking the forward out of the firing line.
In sharp contrast, West Ham are showing the kind of resoluteness which was not present in their squad for much of 2019-20, resulting in opinions of David Moyes only changing for the better.
The Scot has pushed hard for a long-term deal at the London Stadium, and it will only be a matter of time before the club's owners relent to his demands if West Ham continue on their upward trajectory.
The East Londoners left it late to see off Fulham before the international break, but the win was enough to take the team to within two points of seventh position.
With many of the division's biggest clubs out of the way for the first half of the season, there is now a window of opportunity for West Ham to challenge for the top six, something which seemed implausible when they lost to Newcastle United on the opening weekend.
Sheffield United Premier League form: LLDLLL
West Ham United Premier League form: WWDDLW
West Ham United form (all competitions): LWDDLW
Team News
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Having been restricted to 19 minutes of football since his move from Brentford, Said Benrahma could finally be handed his first start in a West Ham shirt.
Moyes will hope that the international break has provided Michail Antonio with enough time to recover from a hamstring injury.
Andriy Yarmolenko will not be involved after recording a positive coronavirus test while on international duty with Ukraine.
Sheffield United will be able to call upon Ethan Ampadu, who was not able to face parent club Chelsea.
Oliver McBurnie or Billy Sharp are expected to get the nod over Brewster in attack.
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Ramsdale; Basham, Egan, Robinson; Baldock, Berge, Ampadu, Lundstram, Lowe; McBurnie, McGoldrick
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Coufal, Rice, Soucek, Masuaku; Bowen, Antonio, Benrahma
We say: Sheffield United 1-1 West Ham United
Sheffield United have had fewer players doing the rounds on international duty, something which could give them an extra edge in this game. Nevertheless, West Ham have been resolute throughout this campaign, and we feel that Moyes's side will battle their way to a share of the spoils.
Top betting tip
Video prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
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 West Ham United win with a probability of 38.16%. A win for Sheffield United had a probability of 35% and a draw had a probability of 26.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a West Ham United win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.39%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.26%) and 0-2 (6.73%). The likeliest Sheffield United win was 1-0 (9.86%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.75%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 10.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 0-1 win for West Ham United in this match.
