English Premier League - Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United - Preview & Prediction

by Valdis Pans

Currently finding themselves in a fight to avoid relegation, 19th-placed Aston Villa will hope to jump out of the bottom-three after hosting 7th-placed Sheffield United, who will move to the 5th place in case of a victory here. Kick-off - at 13:00 PM ET on Wednesday, June 17.

Aston Villa Eager To End Losing Skid

Currently sporting the worst run of recent results among all Premier League teams, Aston Villa return to action on the back of four straight losses, having dropped decisions against Bournemouth (2-1), Tottenham Hotspur (3-2), Southampton (2-0) and Leicester City (4-0), going 217 minutes without scoring a goal. The skid finds the team sitting 2nd from the bottom in the league standings (W7 D4 L17), albeit with a game in hand. Meaning - in case of a victory against Sheffield United, the Villans could overleap Bournemouth, Watford and West Ham United for the 16th position in the league.

English playmaker Jack Grealish, a reported summer target of Manchester United, leads Aston Villa with seven goals and six assists. Goalie Pepe Reina, a loanee from AC Milan, meanwhile, has made 23 saves in six starts so far this season. He is yet to record a clean sheet, allowing a goal every 42 minutes on average. The Villans have scored the 12th highest number of goals this year (34), while posting the 10th highest quantity of shots per game (12.3). They are 13th in ball possession (47.1%) and 11th in passing accuracy (77.5%).

Sheffield United Ride Unbeaten Run

Sheffield United are entering the Premier League restart, sitting 7th in the standings with a W11 D10 L7 record, but with a game in hand, thus hoping to find themselves 5th in the league following a victory against Aston Villa, knocking 5th-placed Manchester United and 6th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers down a notch. Back in England’s top division for the first time in 13 seasons, the Blades, who were playing in the third tier just three years ago has enjoyed a tremendous start to the ongoing campaign. They are unbeaten in four straight league games (W3 D1) and have dropped just one of their past 10 decisions in all competitions (W6 D3 L1), going with just two away defeats throughout the whole current EPL campaign (W4 D7 L2).

Scottish midfielder John Fleck and French striker Lys Mousset top Sheffield’s scoring chart with five markers each. Goalie Dean Henderson, meanwhile, occupies the 13th place in the Premier League with 70 saves, having also recorded 10 clean sheets in 27 appearances this season. He gives up a goal every 110 minutes of play. The Blades have buried the 6th lowest number of goals so far this year (30), while taking the 2nd lowest amount of shots per game (10.2). The team is 17th in ball possession (44.9%) and 16th in passing accuracy (74.2%).

Prediction

Sheffield United have gone unbeaten in their last three league encounters with Aston Villa (W2 D1) and will be hoping for another decent result on Wednesday, having been excellent on the road this season, dropping just two Premier League decisions away from home (W4 D7 L2). The Blades have the second-best defensive record only to league-leading Liverpool (just 25 goals-against), with goalie Dean Henderson sitting 2nd in the league in clean sheets (10). The Villans have been desperate for goals lately, averaging just a single snipe per game in their previous nine fixtures, leaving them in quite a difficult position against one of the strongest defensive sides in England’s top tier.

Best bets:

Sheffield United to win (+125)

Sheffield United clean sheet (+185)

Correct score: 2-0 to Sheffield United (+905)