Two sides in the hunt for European places clash at Bramall Lane on Wednesday evening, when Sheffield United welcome Woverhampton Wanderers to South Yorkshire. The Blades’ chances of a top four finish in the Premier League this season look to be over, but they still have faint hopes of a Europa League spot. At top four finish may be beyond Wolves too, but they will want to catch Manchester United who are currently in fifth. Read on to find where the best betting value can be found in this game.
Sheffield United Analysis
Chris Wilder’s Blades have picked up four points from their last two games – a significant improvement after a run of three defeats. After losing to Arsenal in the FA Cup, United beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 at Bramall Lane, before drawing 1-1 away at Burnley last weekend. The Blades are now in eighth place in the table with 48 points, seven behind fifth-placed Manchester United. Their dreams of Europe are fading fast, but a win on Wednesday would drag the Blades back to within a point of Wolves and keep those fading hopes flickering with some life.
Wolves are still in contention for a fifth-place finish in the Premier League this season, but they need to win on Wednesday to keep up the pressure on a Manchester United side that are looking very strong as the campaign reaches its conclusion. Nuno Esprito Santo’s team received a blow to their hopes at the weekend, losing 2-0 at home to Arsenal. That defeat ended a run of three consecutive victories, all of which were claimed without conceding a single goal. Wolves had been unbeaten in eight Premier League games up until that point, so will want to get back to winning ways again on Wednesday evening.
Most of the clashes between these sides in the last couple of decades have been in English football’s second and third tiers. The Blades have won just out of the last nine meetings, but all but one of those games has been outside of the top flight. It is therefore hard to make any kind of assessment for how Wednesday’s game might turn out based on those results. But Wolves might well have a slight psychological edge over their Yorkshire opponents.
Blades goalkeeper Dean Henderson, currently on loan from Manchester United, could be a key man on Wednesday. In his 31 Premier League appearances this season, the 23-year-old has kept 11 clean sheets. He has made just one error that has led to a goal all season. Sheffield United are 9/4 to keep a clean sheet with William Hill.
Just one previous Premier League clash
There has been just one previous Premier League meeting between these two teams. That game took place earlier this season at Molineux. The game in December ended 1-1, with Lys Mousset opening the scoring for the Blades after just two minutes. Matt Doherty equalised for Wolves in the 64th minute, with the assist supplied by Raul Jimenez. Mousset is the Blades top league scorer this season with six Premier League goals to his name. Jimenez has contributed to 21 Premier League goals in total, having scored 15 and provided six assists. William Hill have Jimenez priced at 2/1 to be the first away goalscorer on Wednesday. Lys Mousset is priced at 13/5 to be the first home goalscorer.
The Blades have a reasonable record at home this season, though obviously will not have the backing of their famously passionate crowd for this game. In 2019/20, United have won eight, drawn three and lost five at home, scoring 20 goals and conceding 14 in those games. Wolves have a similar record away from home. The West Midlanders have won seven, drawn six and lost three, scoring 23 goals and conceding 17. If you think both teams will score on Wednesday evening, William Hill have odds of 6/5 on that happening.
The five most recent results
Sheffield United vs. Wolves
01 Dec 2019
Blades away, 1-1
03 Feb 2018
Blades away, 3-0 (EFL Championship)
27 Sep 2017
Blades home, 2-0 (EFL Championship)
22 Mar 2014
Blades home, 0-2 (League One)
28 Sep 2013
Blades away, 2-0 (League One)
Our betting tip for today
Our recommended tip for this game comes from William Hill, who are offering a price of 16/5 on the game being a draw where both teams score. We think that this is a good bet given that these sides drew 1-1 earlier in the season. Neither team played especially well in their last outing, and we think that confidence might be a bit low in both sides. A draw therefore looks a good bet to us, and we think that home advantage means that the Blades will score but will not have quite enough offensive power to seal victory.
