Everton have not had the best of seasons in the Premier League once again. The Toffees have been distracted by off-field issues, suffering points deduction twice this season for breaching FFP guidelines.
Their inability to stick the ball in the back of the net has also contributed to their woes this campaign. Sheffield United, by the time they play this match, might have their fate sealed in the EFL Championship for next season.
Everton acquired the services of new talents in a bid to bolster their ranks, signing Beto from Italian club side Udinese Calcio, and Chermiti from Portuguese giants Sporting CP. Arnaut Danjuma joined on loan from Villarreal, while Ashley Young and Jack Harrison joined from Aston Villa and Leeds United, respectively, on free transfers.
The Toffees also let go of some notable names over the summer, with the likes of Moise Kean leaving for Serie A giants Juventus, Nigerian midfielder Alex Iwobi joining Fulham, and Demarai Gray crossing continents to join Al-Ettifaq of Saudi Arabia.
Neal Maupay and Mason Holgate sealed loan moves away to Brentford and Southampton, respectively, while Tom Davies, Asmir Begovic, and Yerry Mina all departed for Sheffield United, QPR, and Fiorentina, respectively, on free transfers.
The Merseyside outfit has been plagued by both on-field and off-field challenges, and they seem to be folding underneath all the issues.
The Toffees suffered a points deduction earlier in the season as a penalty for breaching Financial Fair Play rules. However, their form on the pitch has done little to help their cause.
They currently occupy 16th place on the PL table with 27 points from 31 games. Sean Dyche’s men have been defensively impressive at times this season, but their profligacy in front of goal may eventually cost them their premier league status.
As of the time of writing, the Toffees have won just a Premier League game in 2024. The disappointing run of results started against PL champions Man City in a 2-0 defeat, after which they played out back-to-back 1-1 draws against Crystal Palace and Brighton before suffering consecutive defeats at the hands of West Ham and Man United, respectively. Their first win of the year came in the 1-0 win over Burnley in that relegation six-pointer in early April.
The Blades, who gained promotion to the Premier League under the guidance of Chris Wilder, got themselves quite busy in the transfer market in preparation for life in top-flight football.
They recruited several talents including highly rated young centre-forward Cameron Archer from Aston Villa, Gustavo Hammer from Coventry, Vini Souza from Lommel SK, Auston Trusty from Arsenal, and Bénie Traoré from Häcken. Loanees include Luke Thomas from Leicester City, James McAtee from Man City, Ben Brereton Diaz from Villareal, Mason Holgate from Everton, and Yasser Larouci from Troyes, while Tom Davies joined from Everton on a free transfer.
In terms of outgoings, Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge sealed permanent departures to Marseille and Burnley respectively. Bénie Traoré, Ismaila Coulibaly and Femi Seriki sealed loan move away to FC Nantes, AIK and Rotherham respectively while John Fleck, Enda Stevens and Billy Sharp joined Blackburn, Stoke City, and Los Angeles following the expiration of their contracts.
This season in the Premier League, Sheffield United have just not been able to get themselves going. After 31 rounds of matches in the PL, the Blades have only managed 3 wins and 7 draws while going on to lose a whopping 21 matches.
This poor run of results sees them sit bottom of the Premier League table with a measly 16 points tally. Chris Wilder’s men have the worst defensive record in the league, conceding 82 goals in 31 games while managing to score just 30 goals, also the least by any team in the Premier League this season.
The Blades’ recent form in the league is a fair reflection of how poor they have been this season, with a record of no win, 3 draws, and 4 losses, their only win of 2024 came in a 3-1 victory against fellow league strugglers Luton Town despite being second best for most parts of the match.
Their triumph at Kenilworth Road was followed by three consecutive defeats at the hands of Brighton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Arsenal respectively before a spirited display at the Vitality Stadium saw them earn a point against Bournemouth.
Statistics reveal that Everton and Sheffield United have met 8 times. Everton have won 4 games (Total Goals 10), Sheffield United have won 2 games (Total Goals 7), and two games have ended in draws.
Match tickets
The epic match at Goodison Park in Liverpool kicks off on Saturday 11th May 2024, at 3 PM UK time.
The magnificent 39,572-capacity stadium will host this relegation six-pointer.
Getting tickets for the Everton vs Sheffield United tickets could take a lot of work given the standard of this game.
Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels.
Team news
Line-ups
Apart from Dele Alli, Everton does not have any major injury concerns ahead of the league’s bottom-side visit.
Everton XI: Pickford; Coleman(C), Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Young, Garner, André Gomes, McNeil; Doucouré; Calvert-Lewin
Injury concerns for The Blades include Rhys Norringhton-Davies (Hamstring), Max Lowe (ankle), John Egan (calf), Chris Basham (foot), George Baldock (Calf) and Tom Davies (Thigh). All other minor injury concerns should be available for this trip to Liverpool.
Sheffield United XI: Grbic, Holgate, Ahmedhodzic, Robinson, Bogle, Osborn, Arblaster, Hamer, Trusty, McBurnie, Diaz.
Prediction
The Toffees have a direct pattern of play, launching long balls forward from their goalkeeper into their centre-forward and hoping to progress quickly into dangerous positions in the opposition box from such situations while Sheffield share a similar style of play but they do not have enough firepower like the home side.
If Sean Dyche’s men can find their scoring boots, we expect the Toffees to come out on top of this one.
Everton 1-0 Sheffield United
