MatchThe opposition lowdown: Sheffield United
Recent form
United are currently at the bottom of the Premier League, with 15 points from their 29 matches so far.
The Blades have picked up draws in each of their last two top-flight outings, with their last win in the league coming on February 10: a 3-1 result against Luton Town at Kenilworth Road.
Oli McBurnie is the club’s top scorer in the division this season having netted five goals to date, while Gustavo Hamer has assisted four times to lead that chart.
Opposition view
Stuart Rayner, Yorkshire Post chief football writer
On Blades boss Chris Wilder’s style of play and preferred formation…
Wilder made his name with a 3-5-2 formation that pioneered overlapping centre-backs but injuries forced him to start his second spell at Bramall Lane with a back four. Since February he has largely reverted to the shape that brought him so much success, but pragmatism and personnel have stopped anyone bombing on a la Chris Basham and Merseysider Jack O’Connell back then.
Initially Wilder’s appointment brought more fight and he is rightly big on that, but with Derby County’s record of most goals conceded in a 38-game season homing into view expect a bank of five and a bank of four at Anfield determined to keep it tight.
On Sheffield United’s key players this season…
Former Red Jack Robinson has really stepped up in the absence of the injured John Egan, and was recently confirmed as captain for the rest of the season.
Ex-Blackburn Rovers forward Ben Brereton Diaz showed what he can do with two goals on Saturday, but has had injury issues. Oli McBurnie and Vinicius Souza have had their moments, but no consistency.
James McAtee, on loan from Manchester City, is talented but still learning his trade. The Blades plan to rebuild on younger lines this summer and Oliver Arblaster has impressed in his first few Premier League games. He will be a key player next season and could even be in the run-in.
Predicted line-up…
Sheffield United: Grbic; Bogle, Holgate, Ahmedhodzic, Robinson, Osborn; Brereton Diaz, Arblaster, Souza, Hamer; McBurnie.
Previous meeting
The Reds were 2-0 winners when they travelled to face United in the reverse fixture at Bramall Lane in early December.
A first-half finish by Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai’s stoppage-time effort were enough for the visitors to claim the points that night.
What they said
Wilder on how to go about stopping Liverpool...
“Big question, good question! Not a lot of teams can do it. We’ve got to be the best that we are.
“We’ve got to be resolute and we’ve got to defend well. We’ve got to have good distances between back to front. We have to be aggressive and competitive. We can’t just give them the ball back straight away, because if we do then they can punish any team.
“We have got to be brave in and out of possession, we’ve got to have a structure to stop them or give them problems. We understand we’re going to have to have a big night, a huge night for us to get a big result. We need a big performance from everybody.
“My message is to the players: you’re playing at Anfield at the end of the season, they’re going for the title in front of 60-odd thousand as it is now, a cathedral of a ground that’s known worldwide throughout everybody that knows and loves football and knows what Liverpool is all about.
“So go and rise to the occasion, go and show what you can do, and go and show what we can do as a team and make it as difficult as possible. But we understand that we’re going to be under pressure, we understand they’re going to have the majority of possession. We’re going to have to produce a really top, top performance.
“And if we produce a top, top performance, who knows what happens? The game isn’t done and dusted before. But we have to produce that type of performance and if we do then the result will be what it will be. That’s what we’re looking for: a really big performance from the boys.”