SHEFFIELD UNITED head to Newcastle looking to keep their quest for Europe on track after being denied a midweek win by the goal that never was.
The Blades were understandably rusty in the Premier League's first game back but should have emerged from Villa Park with three points after keeper Orjan Nyland carried the ball over his own line.
But goal-line technology failed for once and VAR failed to intervene, meaning Chris Wilder's men couldn't claim the victory that would have moved them up to fifth place.
I had a feeling that game might end in a stalemate but thought the millions watching across the globe would be treated to a few goals.
Thrills were thin on the ground, however, with Sheffield United going route one too often but the experience of playing behind closed doors will stand them in good stead for this trip to St James' Park.
This is the first game back for Newcastle and they might find it a bit more difficult to adapt than a Blades side who have already spent 90 minutes playing in an eerie atmosphere.
Steve Bruce's men signed off with two wins before lockdown but that came after a seven-game run where their only victory was in extra-time against League One Oxford.
The Magpies sit in midtable but only eight points separated them from the drop zone heading into the restart so they need a few wins before they can start to breathe more easily.
How the bookies view it
With the Toon Army behind them Newcastle would have been a lot shorter than the 12/5 on offer at Betfred. The Blades are favourites at a best 7/5 with SportNation while the stalemate is 43/20.
That 90 minutes in midweek might give Sheffield United the edge but I'm going for another stalemate as I wasn't that impressed with the Blades at Villa Park, especially in attack.
Recent head to head
Newcastle have bossed this fixture, winning the last four meetings. They were underdogs at Bramall Lane earlier in the season but won 2-0, with Jonjo Shelvey sealing victory with a bizarre goal as the Blades defence stopped following an offside flag only for the ref to play on and VAR to confirm he made the right call (below).
That was the first meeting between the sides in nine years and their last game at St James' Park ended in a 2-1 win for the Magpies back in 2010, with Kevin Nolan grabbing the winner.
You have to go back to 2006 for the Blades' last win over Newcastle, with Danny Webber sealing a 1-0 victory on Tyneside.
Players to watch
Allan Saint-Maximin has been Newcastle's creative spark this season and grabbed his first goal in that win over Sheffield United. He has since added two more and the maverick Frenchman looks overpriced at 6/1 with 888Sport for a goal against the Blades.
Wilder (below) has chopped and changed his strikers all season and should do so again after that midweek blank. Lys Mousset came off the bench against Villa and might be handed a start here.
The Frenchman is 2/1 with Ladbrokes to score against a Magpies defence that is missing Florian Lejeune through injury.
Anything else catch the eye?
Newcastle have struggled for goals all season while Sheffield United looked pretty toothless in midweek so I'd be surprised if we saw a lot of goals in this one. Under 2.5 strikes should come up but it's sadly a best 4/7 with Sportingbet.
My corner bet came up in midweek when I backed the Blades to win more than one in each half at 21/20. I'm going for the same bet here but switching teams to Newcastle, which is priced evens at William Hill.
A big feature of Sheffield United's play is Enda Stevens' bursts down the left flank. The Irishman is 5/4 with Ladbrokes to deliver four or more crosses and that looks decent value.
This English Premier League match between Newcastle United and Sheffield United will be played on Jun 21, 2020 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Newcastle United vs Sheffield United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
