Sheffield United square off against Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday afternoon still looking for their first Premier League victory of the season.
Meanwhile, the Seagulls head into the contest at the Amex Stadium sitting just two points above the relegation zone after four matches without a win.
Match preview
© Reuters
There have been times this season when Sheffield United have performed with the same intensity which kept them in contention for the top six throughout the 2019-20 campaign.
However, losing 12 times in 13 games, with the latest setback coming against Manchester United on Thursday night, means that only results will keep Chris Wilder in a job at Bramall Lane.
While there were positives to take from the performance during the latest 3-2 reverse, the defeat has left the Blades nine points adrift of safety with an ever-worsening goal difference.
There is no doubt that injuries have hindered Sheffield United, including one to Sander Berge at a time when they held a 1-0 advantage over Man United earlier this week.
Nevertheless, it cannot be used as the main excuse for the club's recent demise, and Wilder may have to avoid defeat on Sunday to stop talk of a potential dismissal from his hometown club.
Although Brighton currently sit outside of the drop zone, Graham Potter will acknowledge that he also requires an improved set of results to remain in the Seagulls hotseat.
Potter has helped attracted some notable names to the Amex Stadium, but Brighton remain with just two wins from their 13 top-flight fixtures this season.
The goalless draw recorded at Fulham on Wednesday evening was arguably perceived to be a positive result given that it kept the Cottagers behind them in the standings.
That said, being happy with such scorelines is not the long-term target for a club which wants to keep evolving, something which heaps the pressure on Potter ahead of a game which Brighton realistically need to be winning to retain hope of a mid-table finish.
Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form: DWDLLD
Sheffield United Premier League form: LLLLLL
Team News
© Reuters
Despite the extra day of recovery, Potter may still decide to make changes to his Brighton XI.
Pascal Gross could be recalled in place of Adam Lallana, while Neal Maupay may get the nod over Danny Welbeck.
Having kept a clean sheet against Fulham, goalkeeper Robert Sanchez should remain ahead of Mat Ryan between the sticks.
Sheffield United will be forced into at least one change after Berge suffered a hamstring injury earlier this week.
Max Lowe, John Lundstram and Lys Mousset are all in contention for a start given the short turnaround of games.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; White, Dunk, Webster; Lamptey, Bissouma, Alzate, March; Connolly, Gross, Maupay
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Ramsdale; Basham, Egan, Robinson; Baldock, Lundstram, Ampadu, Fleck, Lowe; McGoldrick, Mousset
We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Sheffield United
If United are to have any chance of avoiding relegation, these are the kind of games that they need to be winning. However, despite Brighton also being out of form, we expect the home side to grind out a result in a tense affair on the South Coast.
Top betting tip
Video prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
Darren Plant
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 Brighton & Hove Albion win with a probability of 46.07%. A win for Sheffield United had a probability of 27.2% and a draw had a probability of 26.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Brighton & Hove Albion win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.34%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.96%) and 2-0 (8.75%). The likeliest Sheffield United win was 0-1 (8.91%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.63%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.6% likelihood.
