Arsenal at Sheffield United LIVE: Premier League team news and line-ups as Thomas Partey returns to bench

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, speaking to Sky Sports, on why he has named an unchanged team: “I was tempted because they give me the reason to do that in training every single day – but we start the game like this.

“The consistency that we showed, how strong we have been defensively, conceding little and the determination and positivity to go forward pleased me a lot. We have had to face a lot of low blocks.

“Sheffield United have made some changes as they lack certain people in the backline. We have to be adaptable. The players have to have adaptability to change during matches and understand where the change is going to be.”

The Premier League is heading for a classic title race, with Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal set for a three-way battle as we approach the run-in.

Manchester City, the defending champions, are aiming to win a fourth league title in a row under Pep Guardiola – a feat that has never been achieved in the history of English football. City blew Arsenal away in last year’s run-in, but the Gunners are back in the fight this campaign and have been joined by a resurgent Liverpool side – who are set for an emotional final months of Jurgen Klopp’s time on Merseyside.

Sunday will stage what could be the final clash between Klopp’s Liverpool and Guardiola’s City, in what is a potential title decider at Anfield. The Premier League will then return from March’s international break for another blockbuster fixture, as Mikel Arteta’s side visit the Etihad to take on the champions, having already beaten City earlier this season.

After that, as the Premier League title race enters April, the run-in can truly begin. But which team has the best fixtures and who has the hardest run of games to end the season? Here’s where the title could be won and lost.

Arsenal are unchanged from last weekend’s 4-1 win over Newcastle, so Jorginho stays in midfield and Kai Havertz resumes up front. Gabriel Jesus is joined on the bench by Thomas Partey.

Sheffield United hand a first Premier League start to former Everton midfielder Tom Davies. Oli McBurnie also starts up front.

Line-ups! Arsenal are unchanged.

Sheff Utd: Grbic, Ahmedhodzic, Trusty, Robinson, Bogle, Norwood, Vinicius Souza, Hamer, Tom Davies, McAtee, McBurnie

Subs: Baldock, Brereton, Foderingham, Osborn, Arblaster, Larouci, Osula, Brooks, Peck.

Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior, Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice, Saka, Havertz, Martinelli

Subs: Ramsdale, Partey, Gabriel Jesus, Smith Rowe, Nketiah, Cedric, Trossard, Vieira, Nelson.

Team news will be coming out very soon from Bramall Lane. Do Arsenal keep the midfield that worked so well against Newcastle, with Jorginho and Declan Rice together?

The 22-year-old has scored in his last five Premier League games, the first English player to do so for Arsenal since Ian Wright in 1994.

Wright made in seven straight, though, so there’s work to do for Saka yet…

History makers? Hopefully not, for Chris Wilder at least.

After a 5-2 defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup, a 5-0 defeat to Aston Villa in the Premier League and another 5-0 defeat to Brighton in the Premier League (this time with 10 men), Sheffield United could tonight become the first English league side to lose four consecutive home games in all competitions by a margin of five or more goals.

Arsenal, meanwhile, could become the first English league side to win three consecutive away games by a margin of five or more goals.

Mikel Arteta has raised the possibility of Gabriel Jesus featuring against Sheffield United tonight.

The Brazilian has not played since scoring the opening goal in Arsenal’s 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest – missing the whole of February due to a knee injury.

But he returned to the bench against Newcastle and was an unused substitute in the 4-1 win last weekend.

“He’s fit enough, but knowing how long he will last is something different probably,” Arteta said. “Obviously we need him fit. He’s a massive player for us and we want to make sure that now we load the players in the right way.”

Paul Tierney, who was at the centre of a dropped ball controversy in the Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool match last Saturday, will not referee a Premier League match this weekend.

Forest did regain possession after Tierney’s error, but conceded a 99th-minute goal which cost them a valuable point in the race for Premier League survival.

Tierney has been selected as the video assistant referee (VAR) for the Arsenal v Brentford match on Saturday evening.

Sources close to Professional Game Match Officials Ltd insist Tierney has not been dropped.

Eddie Nketiah scored a hat-trick at the Emirates as Arsenal beat Sheffield United 5-0 in October.

The Gunners have since scored at least five goals in a single game on a further four ocassions: 6-0 vs Lens, 5-0 vs Crystal Palace, 6-0 vs West Ham and 5-0 vs Burnley.

United have lost by at least five goals on a further four ocassions, too…