Aston Villa vs Sheffield United. Premier League.
Villa Park.
Watch Aston Villa vs Sheffield United live on Sky Sports Premier League from 4.30pm; Kick-off 6pm
Wednesday 17 June 2020 18:05, UK
Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Aston Villa vs Sheffield United in the Premier League on Wednesday (kick-off 6pm).
Aston Villa will have John McGinn available as they kick off the Premier League restart against Sheffield United.
The midfielder fractured his ankle in December but is in contention, although boss Dean Smith is wary of rushing him back given the hectic schedule in the next few weeks.
Striker Wesley and goalkeeper Tom Heaton will not be available for the final nine games as they continue to recover from long-term knee injuries but Jed Steer is fit after an Achilles injury.
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder told the media on Monday that everyone was available for the trip to Villa Park, though reports in the run-up to kick-off have suggested he may be without key defender Jack O'Connell.
Wilder is hoping to confirm the loan extension of Dean Henderson in the coming days, though the goalkeeper will be eligible to play at Villa Park anyway.
Aston Villa vs Sheffield United is live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event from 4.30pm; Kick-off 6pm. Sky Sports customers can watch in-game clips in the live match blog on the Sky Sports website and app. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.
Everybody has been looking at Manchester City vs Arsenal as the big match because of the two teams facing off and the names on show, but this will be a cracker. In my opinion, the second-best team of the season in Sheffield United are up against a side I find impossible to work out in Aston Villa.
I have big respect for Dean Smith, who plays football on the front foot, but his team makes mistakes at the back. He has tried to help them out, but it is not as easy as that. When I played at Villa with Arsenal they were starting to slide, but were still a big club. Whenever you arrived at Villa, it had that feel.
I find myself tipping them to go down, and I am balancing it out in my head as to why. The reason is because they are still too focused on Jack Grealish and there is no real goalscorer who can give them significant hope.
Sheffield United have been amazing under Chris Wilder. They are a team of stars. The break has probably helped Villa more, but there is no form guide here. The Blades will be driven by their manager as ever - win here and they go above Manchester United, and two points behind Chelsea in the fight for fourth. There is a huge incentive but there is also the incentive of Villa getting off to a good start.
Villa will have worked defensively but who else can come up with goals and who else will be the inspiration other than Grealish? The strikers need service and the wide areas need to be areas that matter - they have been so inconsistent. Will no fans be a burden to them? I don't think it will. I love the atmosphere at Villa, but their away record was better than their home record.
The Bundesliga has suggested that home advantage might not be as strong - but that might mean the tension goes for a side like Villa. I am going for Villa to crack this bottom six wide open and, despite my reservations, get a victory here. But it will be end-to-end.
CHARLIE PREDICTS: 2-1 (8/1 with Sky Bet)
The Premier League 2019/20 season will provisionally restart on Wednesday June 17 and Sky, the UK's leading football broadcaster, will make 25 games available 'free to air' - including Everton vs Liverpool on the first full weekend back - for everyone in the UK to enjoy.
Sky Sports will show 64 live Premier League games when the season resumes. In addition to the 39 matches already scheduled to be broadcast exclusively live on Sky Sports before the coronavirus interruption, 25 more matches will be available on both Sky Sports Premier League and Sky's free-to-air Pick channel, allowing the whole nation to be part of the return of live sport.
To celebrate the return of the Premier League, Sky Sports will also launch a host of innovative new features and updates to give fans an even more immersive experience and share the moments live with family and friends on virtual platforms.
