WHZ View: Three things to look out for in West Ham v Sheffield Utd clash
West Ham will be looking to get all three points against a Sheffield United side who were threatening to be the worst ever side in the Premier League.
The Hammers are looking to move past 40 points and keep pushing on for European football next season. David Moyes will be looking for an improvement from the dull 0-0 draw with Fulham and FA Cup loss to Manchester United within the last week.
It’s worth saying that our visitors are in better form than the league table suggests. The Blades have won six of their last nine games in all competitions. It took them until January to win their first game of the campaign, a 1-0 victory over Newcastle in January.
It’s a big encounter for both teams, involved in different battles at opposite ends of the table. With that in mind, West Ham Zone have picked out three things to look out for in the match on Monday evening.
Lingard at the London Stadium
Jesse Lingard will be looking to light up the London Stadium on his first home appearance for the Hammers.
He got off to a fantastic start against Aston Villa, scoring twice away on his debut for the club. He appears to be very happy in east London, and will be looking to continue his good form.
Lingard scored his two goals in front of Gareth Southgate at Villa Park. He knows what he needs to do to get back into the England set-up, and will have to step up should Michail Antonio be absent.
Big day for Diop
Unfortunately, it looks as though we will be without Angelo Ogbonna for some time. The Italian was having a fantastic season and had formed a great partnership with loanee Craig Dawson.
Issa Diop has been waiting patiently for an opportunity for the past few months. The Frenchman hasn’t featured in the league since December 16th, having only played three matches prior.
He’s more than capable of filling Ogbonna’s shoes. According to Wyscout, he’s averaged 92.5% passing accuracy in his league appearances. He’s also managed 5.23 interceptions and 7.71 recoveries per game. He’s an excellent, young defender, who will be looking to make an impression on Moyes.
First goal could be key
There probably won’t be much in this game. Of their 18 league defeats, the Blades have lost by a single goal on thirteen occasions.
They’ve found the net just 15 times in the top-flight this season. In the last ten meetings between the sides, there have only been more than two goals scored on two occasions.
With the possibility of West Ham without Antonio, it could well be a tight, cagey fixture again.
The first goal could well be key.
In other West Ham news, here are some of the Hammers striking options should Antonio not be fit for Monday.