Mark Lawrenson raises fears of Sheffield United 'crisis' and makes Southampton scoreline prediction

Sheffield United are back in Premier League action this weekend, when they take on Ralph Hasenhuttl's Southampton at St Mary's on Sunday afternoon.
(Photo by MIKE EGERTON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)(Photo by MIKE EGERTON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by MIKE EGERTON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Writing in his weekly predictions column for BBC Sport, pundit Mark Lawrenson backed a 2-0 win for the hosts.

Justifying his prediction, the ex-Liverpool defender argued: "When does a bad start to the season become a crisis? It is getting to that stage for Sheffield United now.

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"The Blades were so close to getting a point against Leicester last weekend, which would have been a huge building block for them, but instead they ended up being beaten again.

"The next few weeks are going to be massive for Chris Wilder's side because if they are not careful, they are going to end up being cast adrift."

Lawro continued: "In contrast, things are going pretty well for Southampton at the moment - the more I see of them, the more impressed I am.

"Saints work extremely hard from front to back but it is the movement of their front players that stands out the most. On top of that, Oriol Romeu gives them a proper foundation in midfield and allows their forwards to strut their stuff.

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He concluded: "Sheffield United certainly do not lack effort either, though, and they are still competitive. They just don't seem to be able to turn that into chances and goals."

Meanwhile, Lawro's sparring partner for the week, Lonely The Brave drummer Gavin 'Mo' Edgeley, picked a 3-1 win for the hosts.

The last time the two sides faced each other, back in July, the Saints secured a comfortable 3-1 home win against Chris Wilder’s Blades.