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Two sides in contrasting runs of form will do battle at Bloomfield Road on Thursday, as Sheffield United travel to take on Blackpool.
The visitors sit eight points clear of third-placed Blackburn Rovers in the Championship table courtesy of four straight league victories, while their hosts have not managed a win in their last seven attempts and find themselves in the relegation zone.
Match preview
Blackpool come into Thursday's contest in a concerning position, with the Tangerines remaining in the bottom three of the Championship table having gone seven league matches without a victory.
That run dates back to late October, as a win away at Coventry City was followed by four consecutive defeats heading into the World Cup break, with Michael Appleton's men falling at the hands of West Bromwich Albion, Luton Town, Middlesbrough and Wigan Athletic to sit on 22 points from 21 second-tier outings.
On their return to action, Blackpool set about to end their wait for a seventh Championship win of the campaign, but they have been unable to do so thus far, firstly playing out a goalless stalemate with Birmingham City before drawing 1-1 away at Cardiff City thanks to Gary Madine's second-half equaliser.
They would then travel to take on fellow strugglers Hull City on Boxing Day and went 1-0 up in the first half through Sonny Carey, but Jordan Thorniley was sent off soon after half time and Oscar Estupinan found the net for the hosts in the final 15 minutes to force a share of the spoils and extend the Tangerines' tough run.
While they may take positives from three draws on the bounce, Blackpool remain two points adrift of safety as a result of that Estupinan equaliser and now find themselves desperate to end a seven-match winless run, although they face a particularly tough test against one of the league's form sides.
Sheffield United make the trip looking to extend an eye-catching run of form in their bid for automatic promotion, having enjoyed a perfect record since the return from the World Cup break.
The Blades were already in a strong position going into the break, as a win away at Cardiff City left them second with 38 points from 21 games, and they have returned to action with three further victories from their three matches in December thus far, firstly beating Huddersfield Town 1-0 thanks to Billy Sharp's first-half goal.
Sharp was again on the scoresheet in the following trip to Wigan Athletic, extending their lead to 2-0 after John Egan's opener, and the Blades eventually stood strong to see out a 2-1 victory after the hosts pulled one back.
Looking to make it four league wins on the bounce and further strengthen their position in the automatic promotion spots, Paul Heckingbottom's side most recently took on Coventry City on Boxing Day, and they looked set to cruise to a dominant triumph as James McAtee, Ciaran Clark and Tommy Doyle put them three goals ahead.
Viktor Gyokeres would pull one back for their visitors with 15 minutes to go, and centre-back John Egan was then dismissed after a second yellow card, but the Blades again stood strong to pick up all three points, leaving them eight clear of third-placed Blackburn Rovers, and they will now go in search of a fifth straight league win and their 15th of the season when they travel to Bloomfield Road on Thursday.
Blackpool Championship form: L L L D D D
Sheffield United Championship form: W L W W W W
Blackpool have an unenviable list of absentees to deal with on Thursday, as Jordan Gabriel, Kevin Stewart, Lewis Fiorini, Keshi Anderson, Liam Bridcutt and Theo Corbeanu are all expected to sit out through injuries, while defender Jordan Thorniley is suspended following his red card against Hull City.
Those absences leave the Tangerines light in midfield, and Sonny Carey and Arsenal loanee Charlie Patino will again have to play important roles, with Kenny Dougall also likely to come in from the outset after Jake Beesley and Ian Poveda were both deployed to support the front two last time out.
Gary Madine will lead the line against the side he helped to win promotion to the Premier League in the 2018-19 season, alongside Jerry Yates, who has notched up nine league goals so far this season.
Sheffield United will travel to Bloomfield Road without key centre-back John Egan, who is also suspended after being sent off in their victory over Coventry, and in the absence of defenders Jack Robinson, Jack O'Connell and Rhys Norrington-Davies, Chris Basham will come in from the outset to join Ciaran Clark and Anel Ahmedhodzic in a back three.
Further forward, Oliver Norwood will certainly keep his place at the base of midfield, while James McAtee will come in with renewed confidence after scoring his second goal of the season last time out, and Tommy Doyle is also pushing to come in from the start having scored off the bench on Boxing Day after returning from an injury.
Iliman Ndiaye will again play a key role in the attack, having contributed assists in three consecutive games to take his tally to five alongside nine league goals so far this season, while Billy Sharp may continue to partner the Senegal international up front with Oli McBurnie, who also boasts nine Championship goals this term, being a doubt through injury, while Rhian Brewster also remains sidelined.
Sheffield United possible starting lineup: Foderingham; Basham, Ahmedhodzic, Clark; Baldock, McAtee, Norwood, Doyle, Lowe; Sharp, Ndiaye
Prediction:
We say: Blackpool 0-2 Sheffield United
Both sides have several important players out of action for Thursday's contest, and even away from home, we can only see the Blades triumphing for a fifth straight victory.
Heckingbottom's side are full of confidence and boast more quality than their visitors, and we envisage them returning home with another three-point haul.
+ Strengths + Attacking set pieces: Very Strong Creating chances through individual skill: Very Strong Creating scoring chances: Very Strong Stealing the ball from the opposition: Very Strong Counter attacks: Strong Finishing scoring chances: Strong Defending set pieces: Strong Aerial duels: Strong
- Weaknesses - Avoiding individual errors: Very Weak
Sheffield United's Style of Play Control the game in the opposition's half Attack through the middle Attempt crosses often Take a lot of shots Aggressive Opponents play aggressively against them
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Blackpool take on Sheffield United at Bloomfield Road on Thursday night looking to extend their unbeaten run to four matches.
The Seasiders haven't lost since the return following the World Cup break but will be keen to return to winning ways under the lights.
The Blades will be wanting to keep tabs on Sky Bet Championship league leaders Burnley with Blackpool hoping to escape the relegation zone.
One To Watch - Iliman Ndiaye:
Fresh from his World Cup exploits with Senegal, the 22-year-old forward will be keen to continue his excellent start to the campaign with nine Sky Bet Championship goals to his name before 2023.Â
Five assists have showcased his creative qualities and his ability to stretch defences has been a key factor in the Blades' push for an automatic promotion to the Premier League.
The Manager - Paul Heckingbottom:
Heckingbottom was the surprise successor to Slavisa Jokanovic after he was relieved of his duties in November 2021 with the 45-year-old stepping up from the backroom staff at Bramall Lane, but he has had real success during his tenure. A Championship play-off semi-final defeat to Nottingham Forest last campaign was a disappointment but it has done little to distill the progress under the former Hibernian boss.
Now pushing for automatic promotion, Heckingbottom has added to his spells at Leeds United and Barnsley, evidently taking the experience from those mixed spells to become a more well-rounded number one.
The Referee - Peter Bankes
Peter Bankes is the main official for the game at Bloomfield Road with his last match in charge of the Seasiders coming in the 4-1 home win against Reading last season.
Bankes has handed out 66 yellow cards in 14 games in all competitions with one red card. The official has taken charge of Europa Conference League and Premier League games this season alongside Sky Bet Championship outings.
Team News:Â
Jordan Thorniley is suspended for the match following his red card against Hull City.
Score: As they say, we've got two chances of getting a result. Slim and none.
Sheffield are comfortably in the automatics, well clear of third placed Blackburn, and are on a winning streak.
We won't score.
Lose 0 - 3.
Team: Appleton should be looking to prioritise 2 thnigs. - Priority number 1 (and for the rest of the season). Set the team up to keep a clean sheet. It doesn't matter how it's done, it needs to be done as often as possible in our remaining 22 games. - Priority number 2. Use whatever system takes your fancy but find a way of playing Yates as one of a front 2. He's our best chance of scoring goals and getting points. Just because he's willing and able doesn't mean he should be covering left back.
Problem with the front 2 - the 10 men against Hull. Madine won't be able to play 90 mins so soon after Hull and Beesley was run into the ground in the same game and will still be recovering.
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
In light of our relegation scrap, This is how I would set up.
Williams was improving so I would partner him with Ekpiteta and have Connolly and Husband as full backs.
Play Yates up front with one other (Probably Madine but maybe Beesley).
The rest - sacrifice width (back Husband and Connolly to battle it out with a thou shalt not pass attitude on the flanks) and pack the middle of the park with orders to defend first and ask questions later. Unfortunately, at the moment Dougall is the only one who is a dog-of-war type in this position but pack it out all the same and defend and spoil for your lives.
Relegation scrap and Jerry to nick it type of job.
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Second half much better 'cos we made it a relegation scrap.
Everyone saw the value of Dougall coming on as a defensive midfielder. For example, one of their main men controlling the middle (Sander Berge) won a free kick around the halfway line but only because he was hit by Dougall's elbow in his throat.
Why, why, why would you play idealistic youngsters like Patino or Carey in that position when they're not going to give you that kind of physical presence or experienced game play - win / fight for the right to play.
With what's currently available, we need Dougall in the dogfight from the start, along with the likes of Connolly and Husband etc.
Mix it up, battle and clean sheet it. Suffocate them in the middle of the park and play Jerry in a front 2 and nick it.
I'm afraid it's Big Sam style needed in our situation.
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Blackpool were narrowly beaten by Sheffield United at Bloomfield Road.
The Seasiders made a lively start to the game with Sonny Carey firing wide of the target from the edge of the area before a long-range Ian Poveda effort was tipped on to the bar by Wes Foderingham.
The visitors went close up the other end as intricate play eventually found Anel Ahmedhodzic whose curling effort was deflected behind for a corner. That pressure from the Blades paid off as Iliman Ndiaye found space again in the area, feeding the ball across to Sander Berge to convert.
Jake Beesley hit a driven effort over the bar after good work from Gary Madine in midfield to create the opportunity before the break.
HT: Blackpool 0-1 Sheffield United
Early in the second half the Blades doubled their advantage as a Sonny Carey slip allowed James McAtee to drive forward from the halfway line and calmly slot past Dan Grimshaw.
Blackpool found a route back into the game in the 55th minute as Gary Madine's header across the face from a corner found Marvin Ekpiteta who knocked home. Minutes later, Jerry Yates was the next Seasiders player to drive at goal but his strike went wide of the target.
The Seasiders' increased spell of possession in the game saw Carey fire at goal once again but it drifted just wide, despite protests for a corner.
Shayne Lavery and Kenny Dougall replaced Jake Beesley and Charlie Patino in the 65th minute.
Grimshaw had to be at full stretch in the 72nd minute as a powerful effort from the edge of the area by Oliver Norwood went close.Â
CJ Hamilton came on for Ian Poveda in the final ten minutes of the game as Blackpool searched for an equaliser which nearly came as Carey's strike from close range was denied by Foderingham but the Seasiders couldn't find the goal to level things.
United made it five consecutive victories in the Sky Bet Championship with a hard-fought success at Blackpool, courtesy of goals from Sander Berge and James McAtee on Thursday evening.
The aforementioned maximum was also United's fifth successive away win and was richly deserved at Bloomfield Road, as the Blades once again saw off a spirted display by struggling opposition.
Boss Heckingbottom made three changes for the trip to the Lancashire coast, with Robinson replacing the suspended Egan, Stevens returning at the expense of Lowe and Bogle making his first start since early October in place of Baldock, with the latter duo dropping to the bench.
It was the hosts who started brightly and on the front foot, with Poveda trying his luck from distance, but Foderingham got enough of a touch on the ball to tip the ball over at the expense of a corner. United's first chance came after a Robinson long throw wasn't cleared, McAtee showed excellent feet to fashion a chance for Ahmedhodžić, who his curling effort was deflected behind.
On 18 minutes though, United opened the scoring. Bogle worked hard before finding Ndiaye, he picked out BERGE, with the Norwegian taking a touch inside the area before placing the ball into the far corner of the goal. The Blades were now the ones on top and Bogle dragged a shot wide after excellent work by skipper Sharp, whilst at the other end, Beesley fired over from Madine's pass.
United created three more promising opportunities before the break, whilst limited Blackpool and their obvious threats. Husband was luck to see his clearance go over his own bar from Bogle's low cross, before Grimshaw grasped McAtee's cushioned effort from Robinson's cross. But the best chance came at the end of the half, as Ndiaye latched on to Norwood's pass, only to send an effort high and wide.
After Norwood tried his luck from the restart, United doubled their advantage four minutes into the second half, Ndiaye freed MCATEE from a Blackpool free kick and the Manchester City loanee raced clear from well inside his own half before calming slotting past Grimshaw. But just when it looked like United could cruise to the three points, the hosts gave themselves genuine hope as EKPITETA applied the finishing touch to a good header by Madine from Carey's corner.
Bogle lasted 69 minutes on his return before Baldock was introduced as the Tangerines also made positives changes and threw everything they'd got at the Blades, but marshalled by the excellent Clark, United rarely looked in trouble in truth. At the other end, Norwood rasped an effort at goal which needed an intervention by Grimshaw prior to Doyle, Lowe and Jebbison entering the fray as the clocked ticked in United's favour.
As four minutes of added time were displayed, Carey drew a save from Foderingham at his near post, but when Madine headed over the resulting corner, that was the last chance gone for the home side as United expertly ran down the clock by keeping the ball in the corner to take their points tally to 50.
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