Sheffield United v West Ham: Premier League prediction, odds and free tip

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Sheffield United v West Ham United in the Premier League.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Premier League/Main Event, 8pm Friday

Best bet

West Ham or draw double chance
1pt Evs Betway, BoyleSports
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Team news

Sheffield United
Back-up goalkeeper Michael Verrips (concussion) could miss out but Simon Moore (groin) is closing in on full fitness and could replace the Dutchman on the bench.

West Ham
Ryan Fredericks (hamstring) has joined Jack Wilshere (groin) and Andriy Yarmolenko (muscle strain) on the sidelines. Michail Antonio (hamstring) is not quite ready to feature.

Match preview

David Moyes's second spell at West Ham is off to a flying start and the good times can continue at Bramall Lane where the Londoners can collect at least a point.

Sheffield United are having an outstanding season and should not be too downhearted by recent 2-0 losses away to Manchester City and Liverpool.

However, they would much rather have played West Ham a few weeks ago, when the Londoners were having a miserable time under Manuel Pellegrini.

West Ham had hoped the Chilean would steer them to European qualification but they were on course for the Sky Bet Championship after collecting seven points from 12 games in the last three months of 2019.

The threat of relegation has not disappeared and Moyes will be anxious to build on the 4-0 victory at home to Bournemouth on New Year's Day which was the club's biggest league win since November 2007.

He knows his team can expect sterner tests in the weeks ahead, starting with this contest in Yorkshire.

Sheffield United were odds-on for the drop before the start of the season but they have been a top-half team since October and can go fifth with a win over West Ham.

However, four of their six league defeats have come in home matches and they had to settle for a 1-1 draw at home to struggling Watford on Boxing Day.

They had the misfortune of facing a Hornets side boosted by the recent appointment of Nigel Pearson and they could experience something similar against the Hammers, who are clearly benefiting from a new-manager bounce.

Moyes demands hard work and concentration and those basics should give West Ham a better chance of coping with Sheffield United's high-tempo approach.

The Scot has spoken about the need to improve West Ham's defending and the process should be a lot smoother with first-choice keeper Lukasz Fabianski back to full fitness.

Fabianski has spent three months on the sidelines this season and his initial replacement, Roberto, had a nightmare, conceding 22 goals in ten games.

The return of Fabianski has coincided with West Ham keeping back-to-back clean sheets for the first time since September and Moyes will be targeting another shutout against the Blades, who are the sixth-lowest scorers in the division.

For Sheffield United, the rest of the season is about trying to finish as high as possible and perhaps having an FA Cup run - they have been drawn away to Sky Bet Championship side Millwall in the fourth round.

However, they are getting a lot more respect from the bookmakers and it may be worthwhile challenging their status as odds-on favourites against the fast-improving Hammers.