Everton vs Sheffield United preview
Watch match highlights from 5.15pm on skysports.com and Sky Sports app
Friday 20 September 2019 16:56, UK
Team news, key stats and predictions ahead of Everton vs Sheffield United in the Premier League.
Team news
Everton will again be without Andre Gomes for the Goodison Park fixture. The midfielder failed a fitness test ahead of last weekend's defeat by Bournemouth because of a rib injury and has not yet returned to full training. Jean-Philippe Gbamin (thigh) also remains sidelined.
Phil Jagielka will be returning to Everton for the first time since his summer move back to Sheffield United, with John Lundstram - who has started all five of the Blades' Premier League games this season - also a former Everton player.
However, Mo Besic will play no part against his parent club while Chris Wilder will also be without suspended striker Billy Sharp following his straight red card last weekend. But Callum Robinson has recovered from a minor hamstring problem.
How to watch
Follow the action with our dedicated live blog. Highlights of the game will be published at 5.15pm on the Sky Sports website and app plus the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel.
Opta stats
- Everton are unbeaten in their last four Premier League meetings with Sheffield United (W2 D2), having lost their opening two such games against them in the 1992-93 season.
- Sheffield United have won three of their last five top-flight away games against Everton, though they have lost their last two league visits to Goodison Park (August 1993 and October 2006).
- Everton have lost three of their last four Premier League games against promoted sides (W1), as many as they had in their previous 44 in the competition (W25 D16 L3).
- Everton have conceded 19 goals via set-pieces under Marco Silva in the Premier League (excluding penalties); more than any other team in this period (since Aug 2018).
- Everton have failed to win any of the 20 Premier League matches in which they've gone behind under Marco Silva (W0 D4 L16). In fact, Silva hasn't won any of his last 24 PL games when his sides have gone behind, since Watford won 2-1 versus Leicester in December 2017 (W0 D5 L19).
- Sheffield United are winless in their last 12 away top-flight matches, since a 1-0 win at Wigan in December 2006 (W0 D3 L9).
- Everton have conceded seven goals across their last three league games, as many as they had in their previous 13 Premier League fixtures before this.
- Each of Everton's last three goals in the Premier League have been headers; they have only scored four consecutive headed goals on two occasions (November 2008 and April 2010).
- Sheffield United have given more minutes to British and Irish players in the Premier League this season than any other team (4916 minutes).
Charlie Nicholas' prediction
I am not convinced by Everton. They are two bad results from sacking Marco Silva. They supported him in the market, but I was not quite sure where he was going with it. It is his responsibility to start getting results. Is he going to play Moise Kean or Dominic Calvert-Lewin? The latter is not going to get you goals. You need goals.
Richarlison is guaranteed a dozen or so a season. I would break it down and play Kean, Richarlison, Sigurdsson and Calvert-Lewin all together. That is a decent front four in terms of pace, movement and creative ability. Everton's defence has started the season OK but has been average since. It doesn't fit right, but this is probably a game where the crowd could get on their back. It is about easing that feeling and helping the manager out.
When we mention top-six threats, we do not mention Everton, we say Leicester and Wolves. They will just have enough to stumble over the line here. Sheffield United are still trying to adjust to the right system that suits them. I do not see a lot of goals for them. I expect Everton to snatch a winner later on.
CHARLIE PREDICTS: 1-0 (11/2 with Sky Bet)
