Sheffield United vs Liverpool Prediction | Soccer Picks

Wednesday, Dec. 6

2:30 p.m. ET

Peacock

Sheffield United Odds	+1200
Liverpool Odds	-550
Draw	+650
Over / Under	2.5 -333 / +250

Odds via bet365. Get up-to-the-minute Soccer odds here.

Sheffield United will be hosting Liverpool at Bramall Lane in this midweek clash. This will be the first game back in charge for the reappointed Chris Wilder. Liverpool will be looking to keep themselves in the title race with what seems like a very gettable three points in this one.

Sheffield United currently sit rock bottom of the Premier League with just five points and a goal difference of -28. These are historically poor numbers and as well liked as Paul Heckingbottom was by Blades fans, he was leading them directly back down to the Championship.

Liverpool are quietly in second place in the Premier League, just two points behind Arsenal. They have only lost one match all season and as questionable as their midfield looks on paper, they have certainly been one of the best sides in the league this season.

These two teams are at complete opposite ends of the table, so let’s see how Sheffield United vs. Liverpool will play out and how to bet this one.

Sheffield United sit bottom of the table and have been getting worse in recent weeks. There was a sense of optimism after beating Wolves and drawing at Brighton, but they have been dominated by two relegation rivals in the last two matches — Bournemouth and Burnley. Heckingbottom left them no other option but to seek change.

Chris Wilder will have no easy task in his first match in charge as Liverpool are one of the top three sides in the league. Wilder typically plays a similar type of formation to how Sheffield United have been playing, three at the back but usually five in the midfield.

Playing against a pressing, fast-paced side such as Liverpool, I assume Wilder will be playing a low-block and defending for a full 90 minutes. The Blades will be desperate to counter on this Liverpool side, which has looked vulnerable in transition. I expect Cameron Archer to be up front, especially with Oli McBurnie suspended for this one.

Players like Archer and Gustavo Hamer will be vital to how Sheffield United play in this match. If the defenders do their job, then the pace of the forward-thinking players will be extremely important to the counter attacking style that they will likely depend on. In my opinion, Archer is a better fit for this match than McBurnie because they need that burst of pace in transition.

There is a possibility of a new manager bounce, but it is a question as to how much of a bounce he gives them as he was the Sheffield United manager once before. Being in front of their home fans will likely give them a boost, but Liverpool are certainly good enough to neutralize this momentum.

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Jurgen Klopp has got his side playing a brand of attacking style football this season. They are always looking to get forward, which is why their midfield typically consists of attacking minded players. Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch are all more attacking minded than anything else.

The front three of Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz are one of the most lethal front lines in all of world football, and to have this creative midfield behind them just screams goals. These six, along with Trent Alexander-Arnold inverting into the midfield and Kostas Tsimikas pushing forward on that left wing puts so much pressure on the opposition’s defensive line.

The only negative to this is that if a Liverpool player loses it in the midfield, then there is now so much pressure on Virgil Van Dijk and Joel Matip to interrupt this transition attack. If either of them makes a mistake in this then it typically results in a shot on target, which is why Alisson Becker has been one of the most valuable goalkeepers in the league up to this point in the season.

His importance was shown this past weekend when Liverpool played a thrilling 4-3 match against Fulham at Anfield. Alisson has saved almost 3.5 post-shot expected goals in the league this season, while Caoimhin Kelleher has given up 1.2 extra. Alisson is one of the few goalkeepers in the league who makes a massive difference to how efficient a team’s style of play is. Him, along with Van Dijk, bail them out of trouble more than we realize because of how often it happens.

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This is an interesting game to bet on because of all the changes to this Sheffield United side. Wilder was just reappointed one day before this match so he will likely not have much time to change a lot tactically, but he may be able to change some personnel or the mindset of these players.

If there is one thing that we know about this Liverpool side, it is that they want to score goals. They know that they don’t have the personnel in midfield to play a more balanced style, so they want to score as much as possible, which is why they have scored at least two goals in 10 league matches already.

I expect more of the same in this match, but with the uncertainty with Sheffield United and the potential new manager bounce, I am uncomfortable taking -1.5. Therefore, I will be taking Both Teams To Score – YES. If the Blades are unable to score against a vulnerable Liverpool defense in their new managers first match, then there is not much hope for them going forward.

Pick: Both Teams To Score – YES (-120 or better)