Chelsea vs Sheffield United Prediction | Soccer Betting Picks
Stu Forster/Getty. Pictured: Mykhalo Mudryk.
Chelsea vs Sheffield United Odds
| Chelsea Odds | -450 |
| Sheffield United Odds | +1200 |
| Draw | +550 |
| Over / Under | 2.5 -188 / +140 |
Chelsea will be hosting Sheffield United this Saturday at Stamford Bridge in a match where three points would be vital for both sides. Chelsea will look to return to winning ways while Sheffield United will be looking to put together back-to-back results for the first time all season.
The Blues will be disappointed being sat 12th in the Premier League with just five wins so far, all season. They are coming off two straight losses away from home to Manchester United and Everton. They will be looking to snatch all three points in their first match at Stamford Bridge in nearly two weeks.
Sheffield United still sit rock bottom of the Premier League despite having won their last match 1-0 against Brentford. They sit on just eight points in 16 matches and have conceded 41 goals, the most in the league.
Let’s see how this one will play out and how to bet Chelsea vs Sheffield United.
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Chelsea
Chelsea have played better than a 12th place team in the opening 16 fixtures this season. However, as of late they have been deserving of some of the results they have been getting. The Blues have won just one of their last five matches, only winning the xG battle once.
Over those five matches, they have conceded 11.7 xG against them and conceded at least two goals in each match. This is a recipe for disaster, especially for a side that has struggled for over a year now. The reason for these offensive struggles is solely down to the finishing of these players.
Chelsea have underperformed their xG number by 5.3, the fourth-highest in the league. This shows that Chelsea have not been an entirely bad team this year. In fact, their expected point total at this point in the season is fifth in the league with 27.25 expected points. They have played some brilliant stuff at points this season, but their finishing has really let them down.
These two alone have underperformed their xG total by 5.5 goals, so the rest of the team has actually over-performed but these two get so many chances and have not converted that it has affected the Blues in a big way. They may be getting Christopher Nkunku back for this match to make his Chelsea debut, which would be a massive upgrade over Nicolas Jackson.
Sheffield United
Sheffield United come off their first win since November 4th and captured their first win under Chris Wilder this season. They were 1-0 victors against Brentford at Bramall Lane in a match where they were the deserved winners. This match was just the second time all season that the Blades won the xG battle, and the first time it has resulted in a win.
Chris Wilder was able to get a few days of training in before this match to work on a few things and it showed. Wilder set this side up with four at the back instead of three, which allowed de Souza Costa to play as a No. 6 and gave more freedom in the middle to Hamer and Brooks. This allowed for a more compact defensive structure, which they have lacked all season and granted their creative players like McAtee and Hamer to stay a little higher up than typical.
Wilder got his tactics perfect in this one, allowing just 0.66 xGA and not allowing a single big chance for Brentford in the match. I expect four at the back once again against Chelsea, packing the middle of the pitch forcing Chelsea to beat them out wide.
Unfortunately, Jack Robinson has picked up five yellow cards this season so he will not be able to feature in this one. This leads to the question of how Wilder will set up this back line and who will be playing where. That is one of the main concerns I have with this Blades side, the amount of turnover and inconsistency within the squad.
Chelsea vs. Sheffield United
Prediction
Both sides need to get a result in this match. For the rest of the season, Chelsea will need to start winning the games they should win if they want to make a push for the top four. Sheffield United need to capitalize on struggling sides if they want any chance of staying in the Premier League this season.
I not only see value in it, but I think Chelsea are going to make a statement in this match. This is the perfect spot for them to figure out the defensive struggles as Sheffield United are not a massive threat going forward. I also think that if Nkunku is healthy for this match it will give this offensive line a huge boost.
Taking everything into consideration, I will be taking Chelsea -1.5 in this match. They need this win if they want to make any sort of run in the league and I think Pochettino is feeling some of the pressure now, so he needs this just as bad as the players do.
Pick: Chelsea -1.5 (-140 or better)
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