Sheffield United vs Blackburn: Back the Blades to Win This EFL Championship Clash
Saturday 20th August - 15:00
Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers, two giants of the north, go head to head in what should be an exciting and closely fought encounter at Bramall Lane. Both teams have started the season in solid fashion, and this clash sees fourth host first in arguably the stand-out fixture of the weekend.
At the start of the season, both these teams were there or thereabout when it comes to EFL Championship betting, and both Paul Heckingbottom and Jon Dahl Tomasson will be happy with their respective teams’ displays four games into what is going to be a long campaign after all the 46 game season is certainly a marathon and not a sprint.
Back Down to Earth With a Bump
Tomasson had seen his Rovers side start the season with a 100% record before they made the trip to face Reading in midweek, and they faced something of a rude awakening. Goals from Tom McIntyre, Junior Hoilett (against his former club) and Lucas Joao helped the home side to an easy 3-0 win over the top of the table side.
Following the defeat, Tomasson didn’t hold back, stating after the loss;
“I hate losing, players hate losing, our fans hate losing.”
“We need a reaction on Saturday.”
“We have made a lot of good steps forward so far this season. But this was a step backwards.”
And that reaction will have to take place against a Sheffield United team that has done well to regroup after an opening day defeat to Watford.
Blades Looking Sharp
Heckingbottom’s side saw off Millwall before drawing at Middlesbrough and then edged out Sunderland on Wednesday night and are very much pushing for a return to the Premier League, and this clash will be a tight one for sure.
United are reportedly fighting to keep hold of their star midfielder Sander Berge with Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp said to be interested in the Norwegian international with talk of a £35m price tag being placed on the impressive 24-year-old.
He’s the kind of player United can not afford to lose as they step up their push to get back to the top-tier after suffering relegation from the Premier League back in 2020/21 after two seasons at the top.
Sheffield United are likely to be without cult hero Billy Sharp for the visit of Blackburn Rovers, with the veteran forward suffering from an ankle injury.
Last season when these two met in this fixture, it took a 92nd-minute winner from Ben Davies to settle what was a feisty encounter, which also saw Charles Goode sent off and Reda Khadra miss a spot-kick for Blackburn Rovers.
Best Bet
Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers to Play Out a Draw - 13/5
This game looks a safe bet for a draw and, as such, might be an excellent kicker for an accumulator. Both teams are in solid form and may well cancel each other out, but we do expect goals, and Ben Brereton Diaz is a solid bet to score anytime and the Chilean international scored when these two sides met last season.
