Promotion chasing Sheffield United look to pick up three points which would move them to the top of the Championship as they travel to relegation battlers Burton Albion. Burton survived relegation on the final day of their first ever Championship campaign last season, and they look to be in for another battle against the drop this term.
Victory at Millwall at the start of this month ended a run of seven matches without a win, with five defeats and two goalless draws in that time. That timely win puts them a point outside the drop zone. Unfortunately, they must improve in all areas if they are to climb any further up the table. They have the second worst goal scoring record and the joint worst defensive statistics in the division, which in turn gives them the worst goal difference. That could be a deciding factor if things are tight at the bottom come May.
Despite their poor form, that win last time out may be the confidence boost the players needed and they will be looking to follow up that performance with another positive result here. They will have to end a run of four straight home defeats to do so though. Recent League Form – WLLLDL.
English Championship – Pirelli Stadium, Burton – Friday 17th November – 19:45 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 13/5 at Unibet |
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Burton Albion
Sheffield UnitedSheffield United
Sheffield United have surprised a few people with how well they have adjusted to life back in the second tier of English football, and they sit just two points behind Wolves at the top of the table. A 1-0 defeat away to Queens Park Rangers prevented a 100% winning October, with them ending the month with three wins from four. They bounced straight back, however, with a 4-1 victory over Hull City last time out. That was their eleventh win of the season, and keeps them in the automatic promotion places. They are just two points off the top and are two points clear of third-placed Cardiff City.
Despite their high position, they have found it a bit of a struggle away from home. Four of their five defeats have come on their travels and they know this match will be tough against a team battling to avoid a relegation battle. Recent League Form – WLWWWL.
Head to Head
These teams have only ever met six times, with only two league meetings among those. Burton hold the advantage, with three victories. Sheffield United have won once and two meetings have finished level after 90 minutes. One of those draws was a League Cup tie back in 2012, with Sheffield United winning via a penalty shoot-out.
Even though Burton have a head to head advantage, they have never beaten Sheffield United at home. Two of their victories came away and the other was a friendly played on a neutral ground. There have been two meetings with Burton as the home side, with Sheffield United winning the first in August 2011 and the second a 0-0 draw in September 2015. The most recent meeting was in League One in March 2016, with Burton winning a tight encounter 1-0.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Sheffield United are the favourites for the victory here and it’s hard to predict anything other than an away win. The visitors are priced at 19/20 with Sky Bet, Burton are 13/5, and the draw is priced at 13/5. As we said, it’s hard to predict anything other than an away win and that is what we are sticking with. Although we do believe it will be close.
Sheffield United have won three of their four away victories by a single goal this season, and three of six meetings between these sides have been decided by a single goal. Therefore, we predict an away win by a one goal margin. The visitors to win by exactly one goal is priced at 11/4, which is the same price as the draw if Burton start the match with a +1 handicap. Burton have only failed to score three times in eight league matches at home this season, with Sheffield United keeping just one clean sheet away from home. So, even though we predict a narrow away win, we do believe both teams will find the net. Backing Both Teams to Score is priced at 4/5. Sheffield United to win and BTTS is 3/1 and looks to be a decent value bet here, and it’s priced at 15/2 for the visitors to win 2-1.
Top Betting Tip
Our top betting tip for this match is an away victory, priced at 19/20 with Sky Bet. Next best, which is a better value bet, is Sheffield United to win and Both Teams to Score. This is priced at 3/1 with the same betting company.