The lowdown on Sheffield United versus Newcastle United

The Star’s James Shield identifies some of the key figures set to be involved in the match at Bramall Lane and, as Chris Wilder’s side look to build upon their FA Cup success at the Memorial Stadium, some of the statistical trends which could point to how the fixture might unfold.

The Teams: United - Ramsdale, Basham, Egan, Ampadu, Bogle, Osborn, Norwood, Fleck, Lundstram, McGoldrick, Brewster. Newcastle - Darlow, Ritchie, Clark, Yedlin, Schar, Fernandez, Joelinton, Shelvey, M Longstaff, Almiron, Wilson.

The Referee: Andy Madley, who averages 2.52 cautions per game so far this season, will take charge of United for the second time since September. From West Yorkshire, he also oversaw their 3-0 defeat at Southampton last month when Enda Stevens was the only player shown a yellow card. Madley last refereed a match involving Newcastle in February, when seven players were booked during a goalless draw with Burnley. Robert Jones is the VAR official.

The Form Guide: United are bottom of the table after losing 15 and drawing two of their 17 league matches so far this term. They average 0.47 goals per game in the competition, but scored three at the Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Newcastle travel to South Yorkshire in 15th place, eight points above the relegation zone but without a win in seven outings. Their last away win came at Crystal Palace in November.

The Last Time Out: Newcastle beat United 3-0 when these two clubs last met, at St James’ Park in June. However all three of their goals - from Joelinton, Allan Saint-Maximin and Matt Ritchie were scored after John Egan had been shown a controversial red card in the 50th minute. Although United had no issues about the second yellow card he was shown, Wilder described the first as “poor”.

The Details: Sheffield United versus Newcastle United, kick-off 6pm. Pre match coverage, in-game updates and post-fixture analysis are available via The Star.

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