Arsenal vs Sheffield United takes place on matchday 10 of the 2023/24 Premier League season.
The Gunners are flying high after a solid start to the season. In that amazing run, they have dispatched Manchester City twice (once in the Premier League on matchday 8) and Manchester United, with their only loss coming away at RC Lens in the UEFA Champions League.
Their performances have not only been aesthetically pleasing – thanks to manager Mikel Arteta’s need to play beautiful football – but have been gritty. The killer instinct and the ruggedness to grind out results that were lacking in their ill-fated 2022/23 title chase have been instilled in the team. Adding Declan Rice to the dynamic has also helped in this regard.
Thomas Tuchel may have said that he wanted to “create a team that nobody wants to face” while he was at Chelsea, but Arteta has taken it, internalized it, drilled it into his team, and now, they are running with it.
They are a team that nobody wants to play against. It is even more impressive when you consider that the average age of the Gunners squad is 24 years and 224 days, the second youngest behind strugglers Burnley; their fearsome team becomes more impressive.
Sheffield United will remember this when making the trip to the Emirates to try and take three points off the North London team.
The Blades looked like the most similar team to Arsenal while they were in the EFL Championship last season. However, after selling a few of their prized players, especially Iliman Ndiaye, their replacements need to be better.
Manager Paul Heckingbottom has also shown how out-of-depth he is in the Premier League. He is on the chopping block, and while a loss to the high-flying Arsenal at the Emirates may not cost him too much, a win could change the trajectory of the team’s Premier League future.
Nothing much is to be expected from them, however. Still, football has a way of surprising even the most accurate predictors.
Match Tickets
Arsenal vs Sheffield United will be played on Saturday, 28 October 2023. The game will take place at the Emirates Stadium. Kickoff time is 3 P.M.
Arsenal vs Sheffield United tickets will go live on both clubs’ websites soon. Arsenal is the home team, so they will have a bigger allocation of tickets. Fans of either club will have to pay attention to the clubs’ official announcement channels to grab tickets before they sell out.
In case they sell out, or in case any fan is not looking to join the waitlist for tickets at either club, trusted ticket reselling platforms like Seatsnet.com are an option to get matchday tickets.
At home, fans will have to stream the game as Sky Sports will not air it. A subscription to Sky Sports streaming (via the Sky Sports app), TNT Sports (via the Discovery+ app) or CBS Sports Golazo (via the Paramount+ app) will give fans at home access to the game at kickoff.
Team news
Arsenal only has Jurrien Timber to worry about in the injury ward. However, the young defender’s absence has not been intensely felt, as is evident in their position on the log. The international break was key to resting Bukayo Saka and helping Gabriel Martinelli recover from his knock. Both players will be sharp enough to take on Sheffield United when they visit the Emirates Stadium.
Sheffield United, on the other hand, have a lengthy injury list. Several key players, including John Egan and John Fleck, are on the list and will not recover in time to start the Arsenal vs Sheffield United game. Fleck will, at best, be ready for the bench and may not come on, depending on how the match is going. Manager Paul Heckingbottom has had a torrid time in the league, but he can always point to his lengthy injury list as a reason for his side’s struggles.
Lineups
Mikel Arteta will treat Arsenal vs Sheffield United with all seriousness, but thanks to his team’s participation in the Champions League on Tuesday, 24 October 2023 (they face UEFA Europa League reigning champions Sevilla), he will take the opportunity to rest several players. This will likely see Kai Havertz get back into the starting lineup after recently being dropped to the bench. Takehiro Tomiyasu could also start ahead of Ben White at right back, and Thomas Partey could get the nod ahead of Declan Rice in the midfield.
Arsenal: Raya; Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Jorginho, Ødegaard; Trossard, Jesus, Saka.
Sheffield United have consistently put out the best team that their injury list could allow them to put out. It will be no different against Arsenal.
Sheffield United: Foderingham; Trusty, Ahmedhodzic, Basham; Thomas, Hamer, Norwood, Souza, Bogle; Archer, McBurnie.
Prediction
Arsenal vs Sheffield United is a mismatch. The form that Arsenal is in does no favors for Sheffield United, who are looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. The Blades will look to counter Arsenal’s attacks but need help getting the ball off the Gunners, whose midfield presence is more robust. The game will be played mostly in the visitor’s half, and Arsenal’s goalkeeper will see very little action. Arsenal will also win a lot of corners in the game, as Sheffield will be defending doggedly. Ultimately, the home advantage and quality of the 2003/04 Premier League champions will stand out.
Arsenal 3 – 0 Sheffield United.