Arsenal vs Sheffield United

Arsenal’s bid to end a two-decade title drought in the Premier League continues at the Emirates Stadium against basement boys Sheffield United.Keen to better last season’s runner-up finish, Arsenal continue to defy their doubters, fighting back from a 2-0 deficit to hold Chelsea to a 2-2 draw in the previous round and maintain an unbeaten Premier League start (W6, D3). A miraculous comeback at Stamford Bridge did wonders to their confidence, as witnessed by a 2-1 win at Sevilla in midweek Champions Leagueaction, which propelled them back to the top spot in Group B following a disheartening loss at Lens on day two. Back to the Emirates, where they’ve alternated between winning (3) and drawing (2) across five Premier League outings this season, the ‘Gunners’ are looking to build on a massive 1-0 triumph over Manchester City last time out. Late drama could be on the cards, with Arsenal scoring a league-high six goals in the final 15 minutes of games this season.On the other hand, out-of-sorts Sheffield United have conceded the division-high eight goals in that timeframe, most recently in a 2-1 home defeat to Manchester United last weekend. Despite losing five Premier League matches on the trot and picking up the lowest one point in the opening nine rounds, the ‘Blades’ have yet to sack under-pressure manager Paul Heckingbottom. But another catastrophe in this ‘David vs Goliath’ clash could prove the end of the road for the 46-year-old, whose men have conceded a whopping 24 goals in the Premier League this term. One-third of those goals came in an 8-0 hammering to Newcastle United on home turf, with onlynine arriving on the road. That doesn’t change the fact the visitors have lost all four away league games in 2023/24, conceding 2+ goals on each occasion.