Sheffield United host Leicester City as the headline act on New Year’s Day (17:30 GMT) and will be hoping to make it a spectacle.
It’s been more than two decades since Bramall Lane welcomed action on the first day of the year and the last time it did so, things did not go the home side’s way.
The Blades will enter the new year resolute on closing in on the play-offs, while the Foxes hope to do the same mountainous task with a potential points deduction looming – but can either side begin 2026 in style?
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Sheffield United have lost each of their last three home league games against Leicester City, their worst home losing run against the Foxes.
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Leicester City were beaten 3-2 by Sheffield United at the King Power earlier this season and could lose home and away to the Blades in a league campaign for the first time since 2007-08.
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This will be Sheffield United’s first league game played at home on New Year’s Day since 2005, a 2-0 defeat to Wigan Athletic in the Championship. Each of their eight matches on January 1st since then have come away from home (W1 D3 L4).
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Leicester City are unbeaten in their last eight league games played on New Year’s Day, winning seven of those (D1), the longest active run of any team in England’s top four tiers – their last such match was in 2024, beating Huddersfield 4-1 at the King Power Stadium.
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Sheffield United’s Patrick Bamford has been directly involved in seven goals across his last eight league appearances in the month of January (5 goals, 2 assists), which includes a goal and two assists for Leeds United against Leicester City in 2021.
