Sheffield United vs AFC Bournemouth Prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, h2h results, odds

On Saturday afternoon, Sheffield United will face Bournemouth in a Premier League basement battle at Bramall Lane.

The Blades went into the international break on the back of a 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion, while the Cherries crushed Newcastle United's European hopes with a 2-0 defeat.

Predictions for the game

The international break is said to come at the worst possible time for certain teams, and for a Sheffield United side that gleaned four points from two fixtures earlier this month - after only one point from ten games prior - the phrase rings true.

Following their merited yet highly contentious victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, which saw the newly-promoted outfit finally record their first victory of the season at the 11th attempt, Paul Heckingbottom's crop traveled to Brighton, who were the architects of their own demise at the Amex.

Up-and-coming winger Simon Adingra took just six minutes to open his and the Seagulls' accounts for the afternoon, but five minutes after Brighton lost Mahmoud Dahoud to a red card, Adam Webster's unfortunate own goal saw the Blades return to the top of the table with a hard-earned point.

Sheffield United had not lost two consecutive Premier League games since July 2020 - enjoying a run of three wins and a draw under Chris Wilder in the COVID-19 era - but their reward is only an 18th-placed standing in the table thanks to Everton's 10-point deduction, one point adrift of Luton Town in the safety of 17th place.

Sheffield United could rise above the dreaded dotted line if they can take care of business against Bournemouth, but they are still without a top-flight clean sheet this season, and their visitors also entered the fortnight's pause on a high.

While injuries played a part in Brighton's defeat to Sheffield United, Newcastle's decimated squad eventually succumbed to physical problems during their loss to Bournemouth, where Eddie Howe's return to the Vitality Stadium was a forgettable one for the ex-Cherries coach.

After 60 minutes of scoreless action, Dominic Solanke finally broke through the seemingly impenetrable Nick Pope before doubling his tally 13 minutes later, and Andoni Iraola's men could - and should - have won by more if not for Newcastle's number one's heroics.

Following back-to-back losses in the EFL Cup and Premier League to Liverpool and Manchester City, the sweet taste of victory arrived at an opportune time for Bournemouth.

However, Iraola's men have yet to find a winning formula on the road this season, having failed to win any of their last seven top-flight away games, losing six of them, and having conceded 17 goals on enemy territory, the worst record in the division.

The Cherries did defeat Sheffield United at Bramall Lane in their most recent competitive meeting, a 0-0 Championship draw in April 2022, after ending a 10-game winless streak in this fixture by defeating the Blades 2-1 on the South Coast in October 2021.

Our prediction

We believe the game will end in a draw.

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