Brentford welcome Sheffield United to Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday in a 3pm kick-off.

Following three succussive draws, Thomas Frank’s side sit 15th in the Premier League table on 29 points. The Blades battled to a 2-2 draw with Chelsea last time out and are nine points from safety in 20th.

Analysis, team news, match officials and more. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the Bees’ next test.

Pre-match analysis

Stephen Gillett, Playmaker Stats: Defences likely to be stretched by dangerous strike partnerships

Revenge may be best served cold, but a sunny afternoon in west London would do the job just fine for a Brentford side looking to avenge a December defeat to Sheffield United at Gtech Community Stadium this Saturday.

An outstanding strike from the Blades' James McAtee proved the difference between the two sides in that encounter, which marked Chris Wilder's first win following his reappointment as United manager a matter of days beforehand.

Regularly finding the net has not been a problem for Brentford this season, but the Blades shut out the Bees that day and they are one of only six teams to keep a league clean sheet against Thomas Frank's side this season, the others being Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Brighton and Newcastle.

There were mitigating circumstances behind Brentford's blank at Bramall Lane, the Bees shorn of nine players including the suspended Ivan Toney and the injured Bryan Mbeumo, ruled out by a badly twisted ankle he had sustained in the Bees’ previous game against Brighton.

Although the latter made a scoring return to the Bees' starting line-up in last weekend's rollercoaster 3-3 draw at Aston Villa, Toney was only introduced as a substitute due to a niggling muscle injury - which remarkably means a strike duo with 122 goals between them for Brentford haven't started a game together since 6 May 2023.

However, with England international Toney reportedly now fighting fit, the welcome reunion of two key players is pencilled in for this Saturday against the Blades... a whopping 343 days after they last started alongside one another in a 1-0 away defeat at Liverpool.

Mbeumo's fantastic right-foot volley against the Villans last weekend was his 50th across all competitions for Brentford and the Cameroon international's power, pace and creativity will boost an attack that is now at full strength for the first time this season.

With Toney as a target and Mbeumo as a runner, Brentford will pose the Blades a considerable threat on the counter - the latter's four goals on the break for the Bees last season only bettered by Mohamed Salah (5) - and the Bees' offensive improvements in open play this term bode well against a team who have shipped 66 (of 82) Premier League goals from 'live' situations this season.

However, after a 6-0 thumping at the hands of Arsenal in March, Wilder's side have turned in competitive displays in draws with Bournemouth, Fulham and Chelsea, and a 3-1 loss at Liverpool in which they were undone by a couple of late goals.

At the sharp end of the Blades' recent improvement has been a burgeoning strike partnership of their own between Oli McBurnie and Villarreal loanee Ben Brereton Díaz.

Fresh from a late equaliser against Chelsea last weekend, McBurnie has six Premier League goals and three assists to his name this season and the Scot also ranks sixth in the top flight for aerial duels won.

Alongside McBurnie, Brereton Díaz has made a significant impact since his loan move from La Liga: netting four goals in seven games since his arrival in January - his goals-per-game ratio of 0.57 only bettered by Erling Haaland (0.76), Salah (0.68), Alexander Isak (0.65), Cole Palmer (0.59) and Ollie Watkins (0.58) this season in the Premier League.

With Brentford set to unleash Toney and Mbeumo, and McBurnie and Brereton-Diaz in good form, defences seem likely to be stretched this Saturday!

Scout Report

Blades showing fighting spirit during final weeks of challenging season

It has not been a fun season for fans in the Steel City.

While Sheffield Wednesday have been fighting for their lives in the Championship, Sheffield United have been battling to keep their place in the Premier League from the very first week.

It took four games for the Blades to record their first point of the season and it was 11 before they had their first win on the board, following a run of nine defeats in the first 10, which included the 8-0 reverse at home to Newcastle United - the heaviest league defeat in club history.

By the time Paul Heckingbottom was sacked on 5 December - three days after a 5-0 loss at Burnley - they were rock bottom on five points, already four points adrift of safety.

The writing was on the wall - even some six months before the end of the season - and a firefighting job was needed. Enter cult hero former player and manager Chris Wilder, who had only left 20 months earlier.

“When this club comes calling, it is not something you pass up,” he said. “We find ourselves in a difficult position, I understand that, but I think I can make a difference.”

True to his word, he delivered a difference immediately, with James McAtee’s first-half goal securing the Blades’ second win of the season at home to Brentford on 9 December.

But even with so much of the season still in front of them, that rare win did not prove to be the catalyst some might have hoped it would be and it was two months before they picked up their next victory against Luton at Kenilworth Road on 10 February.

As a result, United found themselves bottom of the table on Christmas Day. Notoriously, only four teams in Premier League history - West Bromwich Albion in 2004/05, Sunderland in 2013/14, Leicester City in 2014/15 and Wolverhampton Wanderers last season - have occupied that dreaded position and stayed up.

They have showed fight in recent weeks by coming from behind to hold Bournemouth to a 2-2 draw and taking a 3-1 lead at home to Fulham, despite an eventual 3-3 draw. United lost 3-1 at Liverpool on 4 April and battled to a 2-2 draw with Chelsea last time out thanks to Oli McBurnie’s stoppage-time goal.

As BBC Radio Sheffield’s Andy Giddings told us, this team will not throw the towel in despite a nine-point gap to safety looking like an uphill battle.

In the Dugout

Chris Wilder

Chris Wilder the player - a right-back by trade - started out at his beloved Sheffield United after leaving Southampton in 1986 and, alongside Brentford legend Bob Booker, was part of the Blades squad that achieved promotion from the Third Division to the First between 1988 and 1990.

He would later play mostly in the First and Second Divisions for Rotherham United, Notts County and Bradford City, before retiring at Halifax Town in 2000/01.

In October 2001, Wilder started out in management at Alfreton Town, before six years back at Halifax and another five years at Oxford United, who he led out of the Conference in 2010.

In January 2014, he took over at Northampton Town and, in his second season at Sixfields, won League Two with the Cobblers.

By far his most notable work, however, came in the five years he spent back at Sheffield United. The boyhood Blade led the club to the Championship, after a six-season exile, in his first season in charge (2016/17) and, in 2018/19, Wilder and his overlapping centre-backs took United back to the Premier League. It was fairytale stuff.

But there was to be no happy ending as, with Sheffield United bottom of the Premier League, he departed in March 2021, shortly before relegation out of the top flight was confirmed.

In November 2021, Wilder returned to management by taking over from Neil Warnock at Middlesbrough. Boro were 14th in the Championship when he was appointed, and although he transformed their fortunes, four defeats in their final eight league games saw them miss out on the play-offs by five points. They struggled to get going at the start of last season, which led to his sacking on 3 October.

His most recent role was at Watford, who he took charge of for the final 11 Championship games of last term, following Slaven Bilić’s sacking. His short-term deal came to an end after a final day win over Stoke and he was out of work for just six months before making a heartily welcomed return to Bramall Lane on 5 December.

The Gameplan

With BBC Radio Sheffield's Andy Giddings

BBC Radio Sheffield's Andy Giddings explains how Chris Wilder is likely to set up his side on Saturday:

“I would be surprised if there is a deviation from 3-5-2. There may be a cosmetic shift with that further forward, depending on how James McAtee is deployed, but in the basic sense, it will be three at the back with wing-backs and a combination of two up front.

“It has worked for them to a point and there is no reason to think that, over the course of the ensuing games, Wilder will change all of that.

“There have been times this season when they have done things differently, under Paul Heckingbottom, and it has not necessarily worked quite so well.

“Because of the make-up of the team and the personnel, it is not the 3-5-2 that was rampaging and almost getting into Europe under Wilder. It is different to that, but that is the basic structure.”

Last time out v Chelsea (3-5-2): Grbić; Holgate, Ahmedhodžić, Robinson; Bogle, Hamer, Arblaster, Osborn,Trusty; McBurnie, Brereton Díaz

Read the full interview with Andy Giddings here

Team News

Pinnock, Schade and Toney available

During his pre-match press conference, Thomas Frank revealed that Ethan Pinnock (out since February), Kevin Schade (out since September), and Ivan Toney - who was only fit enough to start on the bench in the west Londoners' 3-3 draw with Aston Villa last weekend - will all be in the squad this weekend.

“Everyone from last week, when we faced Aston Villa, is available. Ivan is fine," Frank explained.

“The good news is that Schade is available and will make the squad - that's very good news.

“And Ethan Pinnock is available as well.”

Asked if there is a chance Toney could start at Gtech Community Stadium, he added: “Definitely, yes.”

Match Officials

Barrott set to referee first Brentford fixture

Referee: Sam Barrott

Assistants: Edward Smart and Nick Greenhalgh

Fourth official: Gavin Ward

Video assistant referee: David Coote

Additional video assistant referee: Mark Scholes

Sam Barrott refereed his first Premier League game this season – Fulham’s 3-1 victory over Sheffield United – having previously worked in the National League and the EFL.

Saturday’s fixture at Gtech Community Stadium is Barrott’s first Brentford assignment.

The West Riding based official has refereed 36 games across all competitions this term, showing 112 yellow cards and three reds.

Last Meeting

Sheffield United 1 Brentford 0 (Premier League, 9 December 2023)

A superb strike from James McAtee in first-half stoppage-time was the only goal of the game, as Sheffield United beat Brentford 1-0 at Bramall Lane.

The Bees, who were struggling with a raft of injuries, struggled to carve out any real chances, with a volley from Yoane Wissa the only effort that really tested opposition keeper Wes Foderingham.

There were appeals from the Bees for a penalty in the 95th minute, but the referee waved away their handball claims before blowing for full-time.