Sheffield United v Burnley Preview
With these two sides sitting right next to each other in the table, Saturday’s game promises to be an interesting fixture. At the start of the season, very few people would have tipped Burnley to get anything from this one but with the Clarets sat in 4th position and being in great form, they’ve every chance of taking some points.
Despite sitting in 5th position, there’s no getting away from the fact that Sheffield United’s form is poor at the moment and Kevin Blackwell seems to be under a little pressure. The Blades boss came out with a strange statement this week that the reason for their poor run of results is due to the size of the club, as team’s always raise their game to beat one of the bigger teams of the division. Many fans from other teams considered that statement a little arrogant, especially as Blackwell has only led his side to four points from their last four games. They’ve lost to Reading and Wolves and drawn at Ipswich, which makes for something that can hardly be described as promotion form. There’s no doubt that United have a great side on paper, but Blackwell must know that results must improve and his comments of late seem to indicate he’s looking for excuses.
As for Burnley, they’re having a season that simply nobody predicted. The Clarets are on a long run of form that’s seem them catapult into the play off places and just four points away from 3rd place Reading. They’ve lost just twice in their last ten games and having suffered a setback against Barnsley a week or so ago, Owen Coyle’s men bounced back emphatically with a 3-0 victory over play off chasing Derby. They found themselves scoring all three goals in the opening twenty five minutes in that one and it was obvious they were trying to rectify what had gone wrong at Oakwell just a few days earlier. Coyle proved in Scotland what a talented manager he was and by the looks of things, the same looks to be occurring at Turf Moor where he’s working miracles.
Sheffield United are sweating on the fitness of veteran Gary Speed heading into this one, with the midfielder struggling with a back problem that will see him undergo a late fitness test. However, as what happened in their last game, Matthew Spring is on standby and can act as a direct replacement for the former Bolton man. As for the visitors, Owen Coyle may have to be without Christian Kalvenes and Remco van der Schaaf who are both struggling. Carling Cup hero Kevin McDonald looks to have shaken off a minor knock though and is likely to start.
Sheffield United have been poor at home recently, losing their last two games at Bramall Lane. Admittedly, they have been against Reading and Wolves and with respect to Burnley, this should be an easier test. Still, the Clarets have been performing well and we can definitely see them getting a point from this one – 1-1 prediction.
