Everton vs Sheffield United – Preview

As the Premier League season draws to a close, Everton and Sheffield United find themselves at the bottom of the table – the Blades are already relegated, while Everton are safe barring any further points deductions.

Everton, after enduring a tumultuous season marred by points deductions and relegation fears, now find themselves comfortably in the Premier League for another year. But recent talk of the administration’s scare will keep fans up at night.

Meanwhile, Sheffield United, who were languishing at the bottom of the table, have already accepted their fate of returning to the Championship.

For Everton, the journey to safety has been full of challenges and uncertainties. However, recent performances have shown a revival under Sean Dyche. The Toffees have secured wins in four of their last six outings, a feat that seemed unlikely not long ago. Despite a setback against Chelsea and a draw with Luton, Everton’s resilience shone through, especially given the weight of their off-field issues.

On the other hand, Sheffield United’s journey has been marked by injury struggles and setbacks, culminating in their relegation to the Championship. Despite their fate being sealed, the Blades have continued to fight with pride and determination over the past two weeks. However, their defensive frailties were glaring, epitomized by their record goals conceded. Equaling Swindon Town’s infamous 1993/94 tally, Sheffield United’s 100-goal haul is a statistic they would rather forget.

The Toffees will be without Vitaliy Mykolenko, Nathan Patterson and Dele Alli for their final home game of the Premier League campaign.

The Blades have up to ten players who will miss this game including: Oli McBurnie, Rhys Norrington-Davies, John Egan, Max Lowe, George Baldock and Chris Basham. In addition, Mason Holgate will be ineligible to play against his parent club and Anel Ahmedhodzic will be suspended for the last away game.

Meanwhile, youngster Daniel Jebbison returned to action for the development squad earlier in the week so could be on the bench at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Former Sheffield United academy star Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be a tough man to keep out for the Premier League’s worst defence. The 27-year-old has scored four goals in his last five games, including a header in Everton’s 2-0 win over Liverpool.

Ben Brereton-Diaz can once again cause problems for the opposition this weekend, likely to line up with veteran Seamus Coleman on United’s left. The Chilean averages a goal every 158 minutes. Two goals in last three games, but in truth that could have been more after wasting chances at Newcastle and against his boyhood club Nottingham Forest last time out.

Everton’s record against Sheffield United at Goodison Park paints a challenging picture, having lost five of their last seven league meetings at home, including the most recent two.

Their wins over the Blades at home are rare, with notable exceptions being a 4-2 win in August 1993 and a 2-0 triumph in October 2006.

Instead, Sheffield United have found success on Everton’s turf, boasting more away wins in the Premier League than any other opposition with three wins. Furthermore, their four wins in total against Everton in the competition are the most against any team, equaling their tally against Chelsea.

Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford showed his prowess with 12 clean sheets in the Premier League this season, his second-highest total in a single campaign behind his impressive record of 14 clean sheets in 2018/19.

Despite only recently arriving in January, Ben Brereton-Diaz has become Sheffield United’s top scorer in the Premier League this season with six goals. His strike rate, averaging a goal every 158 minutes, is the second best of any Blades player to have played at least 500 minutes in a single season, behind Nathan Blake’s record in 1993/94, who managed a goal every 145 minutes. .