Sheffield United vs. Chelsea Prediction, 7/11/20
A three-game unbeaten run takes 7th-placed Sheffield United to a domestic encounter against 3rd-placed Chelsea, who have won two outings in a row. Kick-off - at 12:30 PM ET on Saturday, July 11.
Sheffield United Beat Wolves
Sheffield United’s current unbeaten run in the Premier League extended to three games (W2 D1) after the team edged out Wolverhampton Wanderers with a score of 1-0 at Bramall Lane on Wednesday. After the Wolves hit the crossbar following a free-kick and Billy Sharp’s goal for the Blades was canceled out due to an offside call, defender John Egan headed home from Oliver Norwood’s corner, banking his second snipe in as many games. Sheffield United have now won three consecutive EPL home matches for the first time since August 1993 and are sitting 7th in the standings (W13 D12 L9), seven points off the top-five.
French forward Lys Mousset leads the Blades with six Premier League markers but has gotten on the scoreboard just once in his past 17 appearances. Goalie Dean Henderson, meanwhile, sits 10th in the league with 86 saves. He has picked up 12 clean sheets in 32 contests this year and gives up a strike every 107 minutes on average. Sheffield United have scored the 15th highest number of goals during the current campaign (35) while delivering the absolute lowest quantity of shots per game (9.6). The team is 16th in ball possession (45.0%) and 17th in passing accuracy (74.6%).
Chelsea Edge Out Eagles
Chelsea moved up to the 3rd place in the Premier League after notching their second consecutive victory following a 3-2 triumph against Crystal Palace away at Selhurst Park on Tuesday. Olivier Giroud, Christian Pulisic, and Tammy Abraham all scored, with Willian providing two assists, as the Blues have now bagged 132 of their 256 London derbies with a league-high 52% win rate. The team has lost just one of its past eight league decisions (W6 D1 L1) and sits one point above 4th-placed Leicester City, having gone W18 D6 L10 for the whole season thus far.
English striker Abraham tops Chelsea’s scoring chart with 14 Premier League markers for the season. Spaniard Kepa Arrizabalaga, meanwhile, occupies the 21st place in the league’s goalkeeper table with 52 saves. He has registered seven clean sheets in 30 EPL contests this year and concedes a goal every 69 minutes of play. The Blues have buried the 4th highest amount of goals during the ongoing campaign (63) while taking the 2nd highest number of shots per game (16.7). The team is 3rd in ball possession (57.5%) and 2nd in passing accuracy (85.0%).
Prediction
Chelsea have gone unbeaten against Sheffield United in their last four Premier League encounters, winning three of them (W3 D1). The draw, mind, came about in this season’s reverse fixture in London (2-2). And a similar result is definitely not out of the question here, given the excellent form of the Blades this season, with the team currently riding a three-game unbeaten run (W2 D1) and firmly knocking on the door of the Europa League for next season. Chelsea is in great shape, having lost just one of their previous eight EPL outings (W6 D1 L1). Still, visiting Yorkshire, where Sheffield United have dropped just five of their 17 domestic decisions this year (W9 D3 L5), will not prove an easy task for the defensively quite shaky Blues.
Best bet:
Draw (+285)