Man City vs Sheff Utd preview

Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Manchester City vs Sheffield United in the Premier League on Sunday (kick-off 6pm).

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Team news

Manchester City will be without goalkeeper Ederson through suspension against Sheffield United after he was sent off in their last-gasp defeat at Wolves.

Claudio Bravo is set to deputise in goal while Sergio Aguero should feature again after making his first start in five weeks at Molineux, only to be taken off following Ederson's red card.

Gabriel Jesus missed the Wolves game through illness, while playmaker David Silva (leg) and defender John Stones (hamstring) are out, with centre-back Aymeric Laporte and winger Leroy Sane (both knee) long-term absentees.

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder confirmed he will check on a "couple" of players who picked up knocks in the 1-1 draw with Watford, as well as a couple suffering from fatigue.

Lys Mousset could return to the starting line-up at the Etihad if Wilder decides to make changes up front.

How to follow

Follow the action with our dedicated live blog. Highlights of the game will be published shortly after full-time on the Sky Sports website and app plus the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel.

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Opta stats

• Man City have never lost a Premier League match against Sheffield United (W3 D3), with this the first such meeting since a 1-0 win at Bramall Lane in December 2006.
• Sheffield United have failed to score in their last seven away league visits to Manchester City, with five of the last six finishing 0-0.
• Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 37 Premier League home games against promoted sides (W33 D4) since a 0-2 loss against Reading in February 2007. Only Chelsea (43 games between 2001-2015) and Man Utd (40 games between 2002-2015) have had longer such runs in the competition.
• Sheffield United have lost 15 of their last 16 away league games against reigning top-flight champions, with their sole win in that time coming at Arsenal in August 1971.
• Since the turn of the century, Manchester City have only lost their final league game of a calendar twice (W8 D9 L2) - going down 1-4 against Charlton in 2000 and 0-1 at Liverpool in 2016.
• When playing their final league game of a calendar year away from home, Sheffield United have lost 10 in a row, in a run stretching back to 1982. Their most recent such game was a 1-2 loss at Port Vale in League One in 2014.

Charlie's prediction

Sheffield United are still unbeaten on their travels - it is a real test of circumstances here. There is an awkwardness about Manchester City at the moment, but they will want to wrap up their first domestic cup and get over the line with that, albeit the Manchester derby in the semi-final.

They know the title has gone for them, but they will still want to force the issue - it will not drift away for City. Pep Guardiola will not think for a minute that he is just interested in the Champions League and will not detach his side from the domestic league just yet. Why did he take Sergio Aguero off after 12 minutes against Wolves? It may be a reality check on the road for Sheffield United and this will be their first away loss this season. Aguero will be back and could be angry, and hungry, for goals.

CHARLIE PREDICTS: 3-1 (9/1 with Sky Bet)

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