Since losing to Tottenham Hotspur on penalties in the Carabao Cup at the end of September, Chelsea have gone unbeaten in their past seven games, winning four. More recently, the Blues have undergone a huge change in their defence, which was previously highlighted as the weakest point of their team.
Frank Lampard’s side have now gone five games without conceding across all competitions, with Edouard Mendy at the heart of the improvement.
It doesn’t look good, then, for Sheffield United. The Blades are bottom of the table following Burnley’s draw with Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday. Chris Wilder’s men are yet to win this season and have just one point to their name, with three goals scored.
But Sheffield United do have a good recent record against Chelsea, winning four points from the Blues last season and scoring twice in five of their past six visits to Stamford Bridge.
Where to watch Chelsea vs Sheffield United on TV:
- UK: Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Premier League
- US: NBC Sports
Where to live stream Chelsea vs Sheffield United:
US ONLY: Fubo* are streaming Chelsea vs Sheffield United live for account holders. Those without a Fubo account already can take advantage of their seven-day free trial by following the simple steps below.
Chelsea & Sheffield United’s previous line-ups:
- Chelsea (vs Rennes): Mendy; James, Zouma, Silva, Chilwell; Kante, Jorginho, Mount; Ziyech, Abraham, Werner.
- Sheffield United (vs Manchester City): Ramsdale; Baldock, Egan, Basham, Stevens, Lowe; Ampadu*, Berge; Osborn; Brewster, McBurnie.
Chelsea remain without Christian Pulisic, Billy Gilmour and Kai Havertz but Kepa Arrizabalaga will return to the matchday squad following a shoulder injury.
Ethan Ampadu is ineligible to face his parent club, while Lys Mousset, John Fleck and Jack O’Connell all remain out for the Blades.
Players to watch:
- Chelsea: The Blues are in good form and their key men both in defence and attack have received a lot of plaudits. One who hasn’t, but should, is Tammy Abraham. The Englishman has started in Chelsea’s past two games across all competitions, operating as the striker while Timo Werner plays on the wing. And although Werner has been the one to get the goals, Abraham’s play must be praised. Despite being the striker on paper against Burnley, Abraham spent most of the game actually closer to N’Golo Kante in midfield than he did the opposition goal. Selflessly looking to aid his team, Abraham’s dropping back allowed Chelsea’s other attacking players to make the most of the space, and the Blues benefitted. His form has earned him a recall for England and it is hard to see Lampard dropping the forward this weekend.
- Sheffield United: Rhian Brewster. Arguably Sheffield United’s biggest problem this season has been their lack of goals, with the Blades scoring just three so far, two of which came from the penalty spot. Not a good time to face a Chelsea defence playing with confidence. But one Sheffield United forward who will be aiming to breach the Chelsea defence is Rhian Brewster, who is yet to get up and running since signing permanently from Liverpool. The Englishman started his footballing career at Chelsea but joined Liverpool in 2015, rising through their ranks instead, but struggled to break into the Reds’ first team. A loan spell at Swansea City last season showed that Brewster is capable of, and while it has not happened yet for him, don’t count against the forward this weekend.
Scoreline prediction: Chelsea 1-0 Sheffield United
Premier League 2020/21 recent form:
- Chelsea: DWDDW
- Sheffield United: LLDLL