Sheffield United are set to maintain their fine start under their new manager as they host Middlesbrough on Saturday in the English Championship. Boro have also been in fine form lately and can make things difficult but Sheffield's home advantage should give them the edge here.
Sheffield United have completely turned their fortunes around following the appointment of manager Paul Heckingbottom. They are currently on a four-match winning run in the Championship and pushing for a place in the top 10.
The Blades were not in action in midweek as their clash against Hull City was called off. As a result their last Championship fixture was an impressive 1-0 victory over title chasing Fulham with Iliman Ndiaye’s early effort sealing the win.
Sheffield United’s recent resurgence has been built on a sturdy defence which has kept clean sheets in three of their last four matches. They have also not conceded in their last two matches at Bramall Lane.
Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder had plenty of success as manager of Sheffield United, guiding them to promotion in 2019. He will be targeting something similar with his new team, who are currently in the mix for a playoff place.
Like Sheffield United, Middlesbrough have also been in good form lately and travel to Bramall Lane unbeaten in their last six Championship matches. They have won the last three fixtures in that run, including a 2-1 victory at Blackpool on Wednesday.
Middlesbrough have also been solid at the back in recent weeks, conceding just one goal in their last five matches. However, the one blemish is their erratic form on the road having claimed just three wins from their last eight away matches.
How the bookies view it
Sheffield United have the upper hand among the bookies at 23/20 with Coral while a victory for Middlesbrough is priced at 27/10 with Unibet. A draw is set at odds of 27/11 by SBK.
Head to head
Sheffield United have a 34-29 advantage with 16 draws from 79 previous matches against Middlesbrough. Although Boro claimed a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in September, the Blades have the last two meetings at Bramall Lane.
Players to watch
Billy Sharp continues to roll back the years for Sheffield United and has been at the heart of their recent resurgence. The veteran striker has scored twice in his last four appearances and is priced at 37/20 with Unibet to find the net on Saturday.
Sheffield United’s recent good form has been built on a tight defence with Chris Basham, John Egan and Jack Robinson all impressing lately. They will take confidence from the clean sheet against Fulham and will be targeting a repeat at 13/8 with BoyleSports.
Anything else catch the eye?
Sheffield United and Middlesbrough have both been solid at the back lately and Saturday’s clash could be tipped to produce BTTS NO at 20/21 with BetVictor. The last four meetings between both teams have produced under 2.5 goals which is priced at 8/11 with BoyleSports.
Sheffield United have won to nil in three of their last four home matches and could be set for a similar result on Saturday at 5/2 with Skybet.
This England Championship match between Sheffield United and Middlesbrough will be played on Jan 1, 2022 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Sheffield United vs Middlesbrough prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
