Scott Parker cannot afford to drop ‘vitally important’ Burnley star vs Sheffield United, he’s proved his worth

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Burnley and Sheffield United go head-to-head this evening in what is being billed as the biggest game of the Championship season, and Scott Parker has the easiest decision to make.

With three games to go, the top of the Championship table has Burnley five points ahead of Sheffield United, and they can end the Blades’ pursuit at Turf Moor today.

Scott Parker’s side have been solid all season, but Burnley have become even more frightening in the past couple of months, adding goals and flair to their organised approach.

Pundits predict a tight clash between Burnley and Sheffield United, but there’s one player who could unlock that cagey atmosphere and change the game for Parker.

• READ MORE: Pundit shares why he was ‘delighted’ by Sheffield United amid ‘pressure’ demand ahead of Burnley clash

Hannibal Mejbri is making Burnley tick

For the last two games, Parker has left his Burnley lineup unchanged, and it’s clearly worked, with the Clarets picking up back-to-back 2-1 wins.

Prior to that, Burnley had dropped points in a 0-0 draw with Derby County; not an ideal result against a team fighting relegation.

So, what was different? Hannibal Mejbri wasn’t in the team, that’s what. The playmaker was left out of the starting lineup for that trip to Pride Park, and Burnley clearly lacked the cutting edge needing to take down the Rams.

Within 14 minutes of the clash with Norwich on April 11, with Mejbri back in the starting XI, the former Manchester United wonderkid had given Burnley the lead.

He then bagged an assist in the win over Watford on Good Friday to take his tally to four assists and one goal this season. Not huge numbers, by any means, but Mejbri’s impact is clear to see.

Across the last two games, he’s racked up four key passes, three shots, and a 78.6% pass success rate (as per SofaScore).

Back in March, Parker left Mejbri out of the FA Cup tie with Preston North End, largely due to the incident involving Milutin Osmajic in the previous meeting.

Speaking on the decision (via the Burnley Express) to omit the 22-year-old from his squad, Parker explained he did it for the player’s own benefit, but admitted he rued the choice as Mejbri is ‘vitally important’ to what Burnley do.

Simply put, Parker cannot afford to leave him out again.

• READ MORE: Reaction emerges to hilarious Hannibal Mejbri moment fans ‘love’ in Burnley 2-1 Norwich City

Burnley can play without pressure vs Sheffield United

While Chris Wilder takes his Sheffield United team to Turf Moor full of desperation to get the three points, Burnley will go into the fixture knowing they just have to play their own game, keep their head, and avoid defeat and they will almost certainly have promotion secured.

Neutrals who tune in to watch Burnley vs Sheffield United will be hoping to be entertained by two of the best teams in the league.

But, we may be in for a tactical game of chess in many ways, with Burnley keeping United at bay and frustrating the Blades for the 90 minutes, hoping to grab a goal to kill the game.

What we need, as outsiders to the game, is for an early Sheffield United goal to open things up. But, given Burnley’s stubborn defence, that is easier said than done.