Liverpool vs Sheff Utd Prediction: Blades are sitting ducks at Anfield

Title-chasing Liverpool host Premier League basement boys Sheffield United at Anfield on Thursday night (KO, 19:30), with the Reds looking to do the double over the Blades after winning 2-0 at Bramall Lane in December.

Below you can find our Liverpool vs Sheff Utd prediction alongside all the latest team news and match odds heading into this midweek contest on Merseyside, which is live on TNT Sports.

Team News

Liverpool are bolstered by the return to fitness of Curtis Jones who could make the matchday squad for the first time since February 17, when he hobbled off injured in a 4-1 win at Brentford.

Scotland captain Andy Robertson could also return after sitting out Sunday's 2-1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion with an injury sustained on international duty.

The game comes too soon for the likes of Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota and Trent Alexander-Arnold though, but the trio are expected back in action this month.

Ibrahima Konate could earn a start in place of Jarell Quansah at centre-back after only making the bench last weekend.

Ex-Everton midfielder Tom Davies will miss out on a hostile reception at Anfield as he continues his recovery from the injury that kept him out of Saturday's 3-3 draw with Fulham.

George Baldock will be absent once more but there is hope that Cameron Archer can return to the Sheffield United squad for the first time since February 10.

Match Odds

Liverpool are overwhelming favourites to win at 1/12, implying they have a 92.3% chance of picking up all three points at home. The visitors are, unsurprisingly, a long shot to claim a first victory at Anfield since April 1994, at odds of 25/1, or a 3.8% chance.

These sides haven't played out a draw since Rafael Benitez and Neil Warnock were patrolling the sidelines in August 2006 (1-1), and it's 10/1 for one on Thursday. Both teams to score can be backed at 10/11 and it's 8/1 for a repeat of the 2-0 scoreline in favour of Liverpool in the reverse fixture.

Liverpool to win to nil @ 5/6

Back-to-back draws appear to have reignited some belief in the Sheffield United ranks as they plot the 'Great Escape'. The Blades could, and probably should, have won both games against AFC Bournemouth (2-2) and Fulham (3-3) as they let two-goal leads slip late on.

Five goals in two games show that they do possess an element of threat at the top end of the pitch, but their opponents - Bournemouth and Fulham - aren't exactly known for keeping it tight, with both conceding at least 50 Premier League goals this term.

It will be an entirely different prospect at Anfield, up against a side who have let in just 27 in 29 league matches. Liverpool haven't actually kept a clean sheet in their last five in all competitions and have only shut out the opposition once - Southampton (3-0) in the FA Cup on February 28 - in 10 games at home this calendar year.

But the Blades will be among the worst teams they have played, and their record at 'big' teams this season precedes them. They only managed four shots as they were brushed aside 2-0 by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in December, and their visit to the Emirates Stadium two months prior was even less successful as they managed just two shots in a 5-0 demolition job by Arsenal.

Liverpool give up more opportunities than those two clubs but it feels like an opportune time for the Reds to restore some defensive solidity and take extra confidence heading into Sunday's grudge match against Manchester United at Old Trafford, where they shipped four goals in the FA Cup last month.

#PickYourPunt - Liverpool HT/FT, Alexis Mac Allister 1+ shots, Virgil van Dijk 1+ shots & over 8.5 corners @ 11/4

It took Liverpool a little while to find the breakthrough in the reverse fixture at Bramall Lane but Virgil van Dijk popped up in the 37th minute to hand the Reds the lead heading into half-time. Dominik Szoboszlai made sure of the three points deep into stoppage time but at home, Jurgen Klopp will expect his charges to wrap the game up earlier.

Looking back at Sheffield United's trips to Man City and Arsenal earlier this season, both sides were in the lead before the half-hour mark, and I expect events to be similar at Anfield on Thursday as the hosts apply pressure from the outset.

The aforementioned Van Dijk could be key again with Liverpool expected to force plenty of corners as they did at Bramall Lane, where the Blades conceded a whopping 12 corners. The Reds average 10.9 corners per game (for and against) in the Premier League this season and Sheffield United aren't too far down on 10.3, so backing at least nine corners seems sensible.

Van Dijk had three shots in the reverse fixture and Alexis Mac Allister had one from midfield, so if both start - as expected - there's a good chance they will have at least one each at home. The Dutch defender averages 1.1 shots per game in the Premier League this term and it's 1.2 per game for the Argentine playmaker, who has taken on increased attacking responsibilities in the last few months.

Mac Allister fired off five efforts against his old side Brighton on Sunday and previous outings against Manchester United and Man City produced three and four respectively.

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