Sheffield United v Hull City: Danny Hall's match prediction and Blades starting XI

The game, originally scheduled to be played between Christmas and new year, had to be rescheduled after a number of Covid-19 cases in the Tigers camp forced the first clash to be postponed.

United can go level on points with sixth-placed Middlesbrough with victory against Shota Arveladze’s Tigers, who have lost their last three.

Paul Heckingbottom’s view

“There’s been upheaval, they responded well to the new manager and had a couple of dodgy results there but they’re a dangerous side and they’ll have a game plan to come and hurt us.

“They’ll be coming for the win. They commit bodies to try and score goals, so we have to be wary of that but we focus on ourselves and the way we approach the game.

“We’ll prepare for them and what they throw us, but we’ll focus on us and what we have to do to beat them.”

Tale of the tape

Arveladze’s side narrowly lost 1-0 to Fulham at the weekend, and the new Tigers boss says that his players can take a lot of positives from that game into their trip to the Blades.

Regan Slater and Tyler Smith, both former Blades youngsters of course, will be determined to impress against their boyhood club, and a fellow academy product in Daniel Jebbison could be involved as United’s attacking injury crisis worsened with injury to David McGoldrick recently.

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Arveladze hopes to have Allahyar Sayyadmanesh and Tom Eaves available for the Bramall Lane clash, although he is expected to be without on-loan Chelsea goalkeeper Nathan Baxter after injury.

Danny Hall’s starting XI to face Hull City

Foderingham, Bogle, Basham, Egan, B. Davies, Baldock, Norwood, Berge, Ndiaye, Gibbs-White, Sharp. Subs: A. Davies, Goode, Robinson, Fleck, Jebbison, Hourihane, McBurnie.

Given United’s lack of striking options, I’ve elected to shove Iliman Ndiaye up front with Billy Sharp with Morgan Gibbs-White behind the front two, and Ollie Norwood and Sander Berge anchoring midfield.

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Norwood simply has to play, and it was a toss up between United’s three other midfielders to see who partners him.

But I think Berge needs a consistent run of games and hopefully we’ll see the best of him.

Match Prediction

Sheffield United 2 Hull City 1

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