It may come as a surprise to many out there, but at this early stage Cardiff are at the top of the Championship table. They have won both of their games so far, without conceding a goal, and face a Sheffield United team in this game who have won one game and lost one game. While it isn’t expected that Cardiff will remain at the top, they have the chance to do so with a good win here and after their home demolition of Aston Villa, you have to fancy them to do that. This is going to be another tough away day for Sheffield United.
Cardiff Form
Cardiff managed to scrape a 1-0 win on the opening day of the season when they travelled to Burton, but looked a much better team at the weekend on home soil. They played extremely well and defeated promotion hopefuls Aston Villa 3-0 in Cardiff, to fire them to the top of the table. That was a fantastic win for Cardiff, and one they deserved having played exceptionally well throughout the match. What has been impressive about Cardiff so far is their ability to keep a clean sheet, which they have done in both of their league games so far. If they can continue to be tight at the back, they have enough creativity in their line-up to score goals and be a threat.
Sheffield United Form
Sheffield United have been involved in two low scoring games so far in their return to the Championship, a 1-0 victory and a 1-0 loss. The 1-0 victory came on the opening day of the season where they won a game against Brentford at home. They didn’t play too well in that one, but importantly they took their chances and Brentford failed to take theirs.
In their second game, Sheffield United were on the wrong end of a 1-0 score line on their trip to face Middlesbrough. Not many teams will go to Middlesbrough and win points so the result wasn’t too bad, although they did fail to create many opportunities in the game. They have a goal disallowed near the end of the game, but it was the right decision and aside from that chance, they created very little else.
Team News
Cardiff look a real force when going forward at the moment and I believe we will see them play the same attacking line-up. That means that Sheffield United are going to have to come up with a plan to stop last season’s top scorer Kenneth Zohore as well as Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Junior Hoilett and Loic Damour, who all impressed against Villa. With those options, who knows what Cardiff will be able to do in this game against Sheffield United.
Sheffield United are going to have to perform well at both ends of the field in this game. Their defence will need to be on top form to stop the Cardiff front line, but up front they also need to show more. Billy Sharp is key to them, he is the vocal point of many of their attacks and he is relied upon to score goals. He scored on the opening day but in total over two games he has had little chances. He needs to show more, but perhaps more importantly, his team mates need to give him the ball in dangerous areas more often.
Top Betting Tips
I am more than happy to side with Cardiff in this game after their impressive start to the season. They have a fantastic front line, full of flair and creativity that I don’t believe Sheffield United have the ability to stop.
The price on a Cardiff win in this one may not be huge, but at 11/10 with Ladbrokes and Paddy Power I think they are good value. I fully expect them to win this game and I also expect them to keep another clean sheet, after two in their opening two games. As a further bet I am also going to back Cardiff to win to nil, which is available to back at 23/10 with Ladbrokes. This too offers great value as they are playing a team who are struggling to create many chances at the moment.
This game looks to be a good chance for Cardiff to pick up their third win in the Championship, and a chance for them to remain top of the league. I am struggling to see how Sheffield United can win the game.