Sheffield United vs. Liverpool: Preview, Team News, and Ways to Watch

SHEFFIELD UNITED VS. LIVERPOOL

| Sunday, February 28th |
Premier League | Bramall Lane
7:15PM GMT/2:15PM EST

From the top of the table at Christmas to chasing the top four by the end of February, Liverpool head to Bramall Lane to take on Sheffield United. If I have to talk about all the players that they’ll be missing when they go, I might curl up in the fetal position and not move until Monday, so we’ll save that bit for last.

If ever this Liverpool side were to build some momentum, it would be against Chris Wilder’s bottom-ranked Sheffield United. They’ve only managed 11 points in the last 25 league games, putting them six points behind 19th-placed West Brom and inching closer to the drop.

The last time they scored a goal was on February 7th when they hit their 15th against Chelsea. No one can be feeling confident in Liverpool land at the moment, though, no matter how week the opposition is on paper.

The sad news about the tragic death of Alisson’s father means that the goalkeeper may not play this one. COVID restrictions mean he can’t return to Brazil for the funeral, but he may still be given a compassionate leave.

Projected Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Kabak, Phillips, Robertson; Thiago, Wijnaldum, Jones; Salah, Firmino, Mané

As mentioned, Alisson may sit this one out. Sheffield United is an optimal match in which to give him some time to grieve with his family. However, he is still in Liverpool, so it’s possible that he chooses to play.

Here’s some potentially good news: Diogo Jota, the player who lit up Anfield in handful of matches he played before getting injured, has been in training and will be assessed before the game. It’s possible will see him on the bench, which should be a nice boost.

But here we go. The list of Liverpool’s injured players is: Jordan Henderson, Virgil van Dijk, James Milner, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Fabinho. So no one too important then.

At least Sheffield United have suffered a similar defensive decimation this season. They’ll play without John Egan, Jack O’Connell, Chris Basham, and Jack Robinson in defense. Additionally, they’ll be without Sander Berge, Lys Mousset and Jack Rodwell.

What the Managers Had to Say

Jürgen Klopp: “And an away game is the same and Sheffield United is a strong side with a difficult, difficult start in the season. Meanwhile, the last 10 games I think, the results were much different. You can see that, they are much more confident, all these kind of things.”

Chris Wilder: “Last season I tried to give Mr Klopp a bottle of Champagne at Bramall Lane before, but he wouldn’t accept it, but I gave it him after the match and he accepted.

To win the PL by an enormous amount of points, we knew last year we would not have the majority of possession and shots and in those small periods we had to influence the game, this season we got off to a fabulous start at Anfield and there were opportunities there to take something from the game.”

The Officials

Referee: Jonathan Moss. Assistants: Marc Perry, Dan Robathan. Fourth official: Lee Mason. VAR: Andy Madley. Assistant VAR: Matthew Wilkes.

Kickoff is set for 7:15PM GMT/2:15PM EST tomorrow, and television listings for the match can be found on LiveSoccerTV. In the meantime, we’ll be keeping you updated with all the buildup to the game, including team news as it’s released, our live matchday thread, and post-match recaps from The Liverpool Offside staff. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account to have your say on the action as it happens.