Sheffield United vs Newcastle United - Match Preview

On Sunday 19th January Sheffield United host Newcastle at Brammall Lane, where they can hope to gain much needed points to clear themselves from the relegation zone. Heading into this game, the away side sit in 7th place on 15 points, with the home team just shy of bottom of the table in 10th place on 4 points.

This is the first Women’s Championship fixture for the sides post winter break, following FA Cup ties which seen Newcastle progress through to the fifth round following a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest, and Sheffield crash out in the fourth round losing 6-1 away to Crystal Palace. Both teams will be looking to close the gap on their competitors in what is shaping up to be a very tight league table. Only 5 points separate those sitting top of the table right down to 8th place.

Speaking to NUTV ahead of this weekend’s game, Deanna Cooper expressed Newcastle’s ambitions to start the second half of the season strong. When asked about this season’s previous fixture against Sheffield, in which Newcastle won 2-0 at home, the defender stated, “it was a tough game and they caused us some problems so we are obviously looking to rectify that but also going out there and playing our best football”.

Sheffield United will be looking to rectify their record against the visitors, with Newcastle picking up wins the last two times these sides have met in recent history. With Newcastle having just signed young defensive midfielder Charlotte Wardlaw who has played the first half of this season for the Blades on loan from Chelsea, this fixture is shaping up to be a highly anticipated battle for the all-important 3 points to give either side some breathing space in a highly competitive league.

The game is set to kick off at 1pm at Brammall Lane, Sheffield, with tickets still available. For those unable to attend in person, the fixture will be streamed live on Barclays Women’s Championship YouTube channel.