Sheffield United FC
Tottenham Hotspur FC
Tottenham Hotspur FC
Tottenham in search of only second win in six but face another tough side in Sheffield United
Tottenham to win 1-0
Sheffield United stunned the footballing world in midweek by finally picking up their first league win of the season, over a desperately poor Newcastle side.
Chris Wilder, although his side remain bottom of the table, will be delighted with the effort his players have put in to improve their form of late, in a run that also includes a win in the FA Cup.
He will be under no illusions that his team are on the up, however. They remain nine points adrift of safety and after Spurs they face both Manchester clubs away from home. Life rarely gets tougher as the manager of a struggling Premier League side.
As for Spurs, they will be disappointed at not killing off the game against Fulham, which ended 1-1 after a late Cottagers’ equaliser.
It’s a result that represents a dip in form for Mourinho’s men and he will warn his players to expect the same kind of determined football from their opponents this weekend.
Form Guide (all comps): LLLWW
Reasons to be cheerful:
Two victories on the bounce including in the FA Cup
Have shown much improved form of late, particularly against bigger teams
Reasons to be fearful:
Up to seven key players missing in this game
Spurs will have a point to prove after drop in form
To finally get the first league win of the season under your belt will come as a huge relief to manager Chris Wilder, who must have wondered just how much longer it was going to take.
There is now no chance of a 9th place finish like they achieved last season, but will they be able to gather enough points together to survive? The nine points gap is not impossible, but it would arguably be the biggest ever recovery in Premier League history if they were to manage it.
For this game, they will likely have at least seven players missing through either injury of Covid-19, though these have not been named yet. In addition, the likes of McBurnie, Stevens and Baldock will face late fitness tests.
It will be a tough match against Spurs, but they have shown recently how they can frustrate bigger clubs.
Star Man – Billy Sharp
Doesn’t always start these days, but his winner against Newcastle in midweek will mean his confidence is sky-high.
Form Guide (all comps): DWWWD
Reasons to be cheerful:
The likes of Bergwijn and Bale could be fit to play
Mourinho will challenge his side to improve their performance
Reasons to be fearful:
Spurs have not won at Sheffield United in last seven meetings
Form is starting to wobble and won’t want to drift further from top
Spurs are at a critical part of their season, one where they can keep pace with (or even catch) the leaders, or their mixed form can continue and they’ll drift further from the top.
With just one league win from their last six, Mourinho will be desperate for his side to put in a top performance here and close the gap on the teams above them.
He will not find it easy – although The Blades are bottom, they are unbeaten against Spurs in their last seven games and will likely have a similar game plan of how to frustrate them.
Spurs have shown this season that they have fabulous on the counterattack, with Kane and Son scoring goals for fun (23 combined), but when teams sit back and invite Spurs onto them, they often struggle.
Star Man – Harry Kane
Has scored in his last two league games and will fancy his chances of continuing that here.
Tottenham are favourites but will need to work hard
Sheffield United will have 11 men behind the ball at times
Should be an interesting, but tight game
As Tottenham found out against Fulham in midweek, even the teams near the bottom end of the table can fight.
By defending deep and getting bodies behind the ball, teams can be difficult to break down. Spurs must find a way of doing that here against Sheffield United.
With the players that Spurs have, particularly upfront, they should have enough to claim three points here.
Tottenham to win 1-0
