Sheffield United vs Liverpool – Predictions

There's no rest for the wicked and just three days on from the thrilling 4-3 win over Fulham, Liverpool travel to Sheffield United.

The December fixture pile-up means Jurgen Klopp and co will have had little time to dwell on the good and bad of the weekend's madness, as they face five more Premier League games this month, starting with the trip to Bramall Lane on Wednesday.

READ MORE: Sheffield United vs Liverpool – Match Preview

Currently just two points off the Premier League summit, this jam-packed month could prove crucial in the Reds' Premier League title pretensions. Eking out wins by any means necessary and managing squad fitness are the priorities as the days get shorter and the fixtures keep on coming.

Sheffield United could hardly come into this one in a more different position to Liverpool, sitting bottom of the table and having just sacked their manager after a 5-0 defeat to Burnley. The Blades still only have one win this season.

Here's how some of Anfield Watch's writers predict the midweek contest will play out.

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Sam McGuire: On paper, this should be a comfortable Liverpool win.

Sheffield United are bottom of the table and have conceded the most goals in the Premier League this season. However, they're a bit of an unknown now after sacking Paul Heckingbottom and rehiring Chris Wilder.

The new manager bounce might come into play here, especially given they're backed by a home crowd. The Reds haven't been great away from home this term either so this really does have the potential to be a banana skin for Jurgen Klopp's side.

I'm still confident of a win though, just not a heavy one.

Sheffield United 1-2 Liverpool

Ewan Ross-Murray: After Sunday's chaos, a nice comfy win would be just what the doctor ordered.

However, the defensive display against Fulham hardly inspired confidence and Liverpool are unlikely to produce goals of such precision and quality for a second game running.

The Reds have struggled on the road against the weaker sides in the Premier League over the last 18 months, the trip to Kenilworth Road perhaps being the perfect example of why nothing can be taken for granted against Sheffield United.

They may be bottom, they may be rubbish, but they can still cause Liverpool problems. I'm going for a narrow win, although I'm hopeful it will be more convincing.

Sheffield United 1-2 Liverpool

Andrew Headspeath: If Liverpool are to be a serious team in the Premier League title race this season, this is absolutely the sort of game they must win.

At first glance, a trip to the 20th-placed side couldn't be more straightforward. However, the Reds have a recent track record of turning exactly these sorts of games into hard work, while the mounting fixture congestion, change of management at Sheffield United and the return of a certain Simon Hooper as referee means nothing is to be taken for granted.

With injuries piling up, Liverpool's bench is not as deep as it was a few weeks ago either and the Fulham win – however thrilling – showed the issues at the back are even more pronounced without Alisson there to do the bailing out.

It doesn't need to be pretty (a Mohamed Salah penalty will do), Liverpool just need to prove they can get this type of job done, before the more high-profile tests against the likes of Arsenal and Man Utd this month.

Sheffield United 0-1 Liverpool