Sheffield United's search for their first Premier League win of the season will continue on Boxing Day when they welcome high-flying Everton to Bramall Lane.
The Blades are currently bottom of the table with just two points to show from their first 14 matches of the 2020-21 campaign, while Everton sit fourth, just five points behind league leaders Liverpool.
Match preview
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There is no getting away from the fact that it has been a disastrous start to the season for Sheffield United, who have only picked up two points from their opening 14 Premier League games to sit rock bottom.
The Blades have scored just eight times in their 14 fixtures, conceding 25, and they are 10 points from the safety of 17th position, which is a huge concern heading into the festive period.
There have been signs of encouragement in recent games, though, with Chris Wilder's side impressing in a 3-2 loss to Manchester United on December 17 before picking up a point away at Brighton & Hove Albion last time out.
Sheffield United came close to picking up all three points at the Amex, but Seagulls striker Danny Welbeck levelled the scores at 1-1 in the 87th minute of the contest.
The Blades recorded a 2-0 victory when they travelled to Goodison Park last season but suffered a 1-0 loss to the Merseyside giants when the pair last locked horns at Bramall Lane in July.
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Everton, meanwhile, will enter Saturday's contest off the back of a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup on Wednesday night.
The Toffees were disappointing against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, but a run of three straight Premier League wins has seen Carlo Ancelotti's team rise into fourth position in the table.
Everton are unbeaten in England's top flight since the end of November, and the recent victories over Chelsea, Leicester City and Arsenal is an indication of their improvement this term.
The Merseyside giants will be looking to put a fourth straight league win on the board ahead of a home game against Manchester City on December 28, and there is certainly a chance that they could end 2020 in second spot in the table, which would be some achievement.
Ancelotti's side have won four of their seven away Premier League matches this season, suffering two defeats in the process, while they have picked up seven points from their last three games away from Goodison Park.
Sheffield United Premier League form: LLLLLD
Everton Premier League form: WLDWWW
Everton form (all competitions): LDWWWL
Team News
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Sheffield United will again be without the services of Jack O'Connell, Sander Berge and Kean Bryan through injury, while Oli McBurnie remains a doubt for Saturday's contest due to a shoulder problem.
John Lundstram starts a three-game suspension, meanwhile, meaning that there could be a spot in the middle of the park for Ben Osborn.
Wilder has options for change in the final third of the field, with Oliver Burke and Lys Mousset pushing for starts, although summer arrival Rhian Brewster is again expected to get the nod alongside David McGoldrick.
As for Everton, Lucas Digne, Fabian Delph, Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Allan remain on the sidelines, while James Rodriguez could again miss out with a calf problem.
Richarlison is also expected to be absent, with the Brazil international suffering a head injury during the EFL Cup quarter-final with Man United, meaning that Bernard could be in line for a start.
Jordan Pickford will return between the sticks, while Tom Davies and Mason Holgate should replace Seamus Coleman and Andre Gomes following Wednesday's clash with Solskjaer's team.
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Ramsdale; Basham, Egan, Robinson; Baldock, Osborn, Ampadu, Fleck, Stevens; Brewster, McGoldrick
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Holgate, Mina, Keane, Godfrey; Doucoure, Davies; Iwobi, Sigurdsson, Bernard; Calvert-Lewin
We say: Sheffield United 1-1 Everton
Everton are expected to be missing a number of important players this weekend, while Sheffield United have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks. The Toffees will be desperate to put another league victory on the board, but we are backing the home side to pick up a point on Boxing Day.
Top betting tip
Video prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
Matt Law
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Everton win with a probability of 51.54%. A draw had a probability of 25.2% and a win for Sheffield United had a probability of 23.23%.
The most likely scoreline for a Everton win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.33%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (9.74%) and 1-2 (9.45%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.97%), while for a Sheffield United win it was 1-0 (7.58%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 12.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 0-1 win for Everton in this match.
