Sheffield United v Wolves: Who will start? Is there a stream? Who is the referee? Who is the one to watch?
Although the fixture takes place at Bramall Lane, home advantage does not carry the same weight while supporters are still banned from entering stadia because of social distancing measures introduced to try and curb the spread of Covid-19, which meant last term’s fixture programme was not completed until May following a three month long suspension.
The Star’s United’s writer James Shield identifies some of the key figures likely to be involved, and the most important statistics, surrounding this evening’s game.
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Hide AdPossible Teams: United - Ramsdale, Basham, Egan, O’Connell, Baldock, Stevens, Norwood, Fleck, Lundstram, Burke, Sharp. Wolves - Patrico, Marcal, Saiss, Coady, Boly, Traore, Moutinho, Neves, Jota, Podence, Jiminez.
The Referee: Mike Dean will take charge of the match, while Graham Scott will oversee VAR. Dean averaged exactly four cautions per game last season, although this figure rose to 5.5 in games involving United. He booked eight players when Arsenal visited South Yorkshire, including Jack O’Connell, John Fleck and David McGoldrick. In fixtures involving Wolves, his average was 2.5.
The Goals Column: United scored 24 goals during their 19 homes fixtures last term, conceding only 15 in the process. Wolves scored the same number of goals - 24 - away from Molineux and conceded 21. Across the course of the entire campaign, United found the back of the net, on average, 1.03 times per game across the course of the entire campaign. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men (1.34) were more prolific. Matches involving United produced fewer goals - 2.05 - on average than any other team in the division last season.
The Dangermen: Raul Jiminez scored 27 times in 56 appearances for Wolves last term. The Mexican cost £33m when he arrived at Molineux, following a spell on loan, from Benfica last summer and has previously represented Atletico Madrid and Club America. He also provided six assists, the same number as Joao Moutinho - the 34-year-old Portugal international, who started his career with Sporting Lisbon before moving to Porto and then Monaco.
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Hide AdThe Last Time Out: United centre-half John Egan scored the only goal of the contest in the 93rd minute when these two teams met at Bramall Lane in July - a match which also took place behind closed doors. Oliver Norwood provided the assist from a corner. United had more attempts on goal and more shots on target during the course of the game, but Wolves enjoyed more of the ball, having retained possession for 57 per cent of the game. They also committed more fouls.
The Head to Head: United have won 39 of the previous meetings between these two teams. Wolves have emerged victorious on 38 occasions, with 37 of their encounters ending in a draw. The first time they clashed was in 1892, when Wolves won an FA Cup tie 3-1 at home.
The Details: Sheffield United versus Wolves, kick-off 6pm. The game is being broadcast live on Sky Sports.