Sheffield United: Blades refuse to downplay significance of Burnley's visit to Bramall Lane
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Having entered September’s international break first in the table and three points clear of second place, United began preparing for Saturday’s encounter at Bramall Lane three behind Vincent Kompany’s side who faced Rotherham last night.
After failing to win any of their first six outings since the resumption of the domestic fixture programme, Heckingbottom’s squad recorded their second straight victory at Bristol City on Tuesday; 72 hours after beating West Bromwich Albion.
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Hide AdAlthough this season’s race for promotion has yet to reach the halfway stage, United’s meeting between two of the division’s genuine heavyweights already looks like being a pivotal moment in the battle to secure top-flight status.
“It’s a big game and it’s a tough game, but we’ve already had two of those in the past week,” Heckingbottom told The Star. “We know it’s another important one and, the more people we can have available, the better.”
Although United will welcome Anel Ahmedhodzic, their marquee summer signing, back from suspension against the visitors from Turf Moor, doubts over the availability of Jack Robinson, James McAtee, Tommy Doyle and Chris Basham threaten to complicate Heckingbottom’s planning for a clash with one of the three teams relegated from the PL earlier this year. With Sander Berge, Rhian Brewster, Jayden Bogle, Max Lowe, Rhys Norrington-Davies and Daniel Jebbison definitely unavailable for selection, United can ill afford to lose any more influential names as they attempt to maintain their momentum ahead of the World Cup break.
Heckingbottom is expected to confirm tomorrow exactly how long Brewster will be absent for after damaging a hamstring at The Hawthorns. The centre-forward, United’s record purchase following a £23.5m move from Liverpool, consulted a specialist about the best course of action to take which will decide how long he is likely to be absent.
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Hide AdIn an intriguing twist ahead of an already eagerly anticipated contest, Burnley are owned by the American based sports management firm ALK Capital which expressed an interest in purchasing United soon after HRH Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud won his High Court battle with former co-owner Kevin McCabe in 2019.