West Ham United resume their 2020/21 Premier League campaign with a trip to Sheffield United on Sunday afternoon.
The Hammers head to Bramall Lane seeking to make it back-to-back wins after beating Fulham 1-0 before the November international break. Collecting another three points in Yorkshire could see the Irons climb as high as seventh in the Premier League table, should results elsewhere go the way of David Moyes' side.
Sheffield United will kick-off bottom of the table, having lost seven of their eight Premier League matches, including a 4-1 defeat at Chelsea last time out.
Sunday's game will be screened live in the UK by Sky Sports Premier League and across the world by the Premier League's international broadcast partners.
The match will see the teams use the new yellow winter Nike Flight ball for the first time, while the Hammers will warm up in t-shirts to support principal sponsor Betway in promoting Safer Gambling Week 2020, which runs from 19-25 November.
Team news
West Ham United wing-back Arthur Masuaku and centre-back Angelo Ogbonna are hoping to be fit for Sunday's game after withdrawing from international duty due to injury.
Club captain Mark Noble will hope to be available for selection after missing the Fulham win with a rib injury.
And forward Michail Antonio has also been working his way back to fitness after suffering a hamstring injury in the 1-1 draw with Manchester City on 24 October.
For Sheffield United, striker Rhian Brewster (leg), midfielder John Fleck (back) and defenders Enda Stevens (knee) and John Egan (concussion) are hoping to be fit, while striker Lys Mousset (ankle) has an outside chance of being available. However, defender Jack O'Connell (knee) is definitely out.
The opposition - Sheffield United
After finishing ninth in the Premier League and reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals last season, Sheffield United will do well to match those achievements in 2020/21.
Under Chris Wilder, the Blades won promotion from League One in 2016/17 and the Championship in 2018/19, before exceeding all expectations last term.
However, this season has been challenging so far, with just one point and four goals from eight Premier League matches, and a Carabao Cup second-round exit on penalties at the hands of Burnley.
Wilder will need his team to start churning out narrow victories again, as they did in 2019/20, if they are to start climbing the table.
Last season, seven of Sheffield United's 14 Premier League wins came by 1-0 scorelines, including the corresponding visit of West Ham United to Bramall Lane in January, but they have yet to keep a clean sheet in eight Premier League games in 2020/21.
Wilder will hope his famed 3-5-2 formation, complete with overlapping centre-backs, will kick into a gear again soon, while he will also hope his forwards Ollie McBurnie, David McGoldrick, Billy Sharp and summer signing Rhian Brewster start scoring the goals needed to get them out of the bottom three.
Previous meetings
West Ham United have lost on all three previous visits to Bramall Lane in the Premier League, in 1993/94 (2-3), 2006/07 (0-3) and 2019/20 (0-1).
The Hammers' last victory at Sheffield United was on 11 September 2004, when goals from Marlon Harewood (pictured) and Teddy Sheringham secured a 2-1 success in the Championship.
West Ham's biggest top-flight win at the Blades came on 23 September 1961, when John Dick (two), Alan Sealey and Malcolm Musgrove scored in a 4-1 First Division victory.
The Irons' biggest-ever League win over Sheffield United was a 5-0 Second Division victory on 21 March 1990, when a Jimmy Quinn hat-trick helped Billy Bonds' side do the business at the Boleyn Ground.
Match officials
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Assistant Referees: Constantine Hatzidakis and Peter Kirkup
Fourth Official: Robert Jones
VAR: Jonathan Moss
Assistant VAR: Andrew Halliday
Born in the village of Drighlington, midway between Leeds and Bradford in the West Riding of Yorkshire, in March 1971, Martin Atkinson began refereeing at the age of 16.
He joined the Football League as an assistant referee aged 27, in 1998, before being promoted to the National List of referees five years later.
Atkinson refereed his first Premier League game, Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Birmingham City, in April 2005.
The following year, 2006, he was appointed to the FIFA list of international referees.
Atkinson has officiated a number of high-profile matches, including the 2011 FA Cup final, 2014 EFL Cup final, UEFA Champions League and international matches, including being England’s representative at UEFA Euro 2016.
The 49-year-old has referred West Ham United on 55 occasions, including the 3-2 win over Chelsea and 3-1 win over Watford at London Stadium in July and the 4-0 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in September.
