Birmingham City vs Sheffield United
England Championship, KO: 19:45 Feb 4, 2022, St Andrew’s Stadium
Birmingham City could use a swift upturn in results as they host Sheffield United in a Friday night English Championship fixture. The visitors are only just coming out of a recent slump of their own and can hold out for a point at St Andrew’s.
Birmingham City will be feeling disappointed after letting a two goal lead sleep in a 2-2 draw with Derby County last time out in the Championship. They looked on course for a vital win after going in front through Lyle Taylor and Scott Hogan but a late capitulation saw them concede twice.
That was the second straight draw for Birmingham City, who were held to a similar scoreline by Peterborough United in their previous fixture. These results highlight a defensive vulnerability which has seen Lee Bowyer’s men fail to keep a clean sheet in their last nine Championship matches.
Birmingham City have suffered just one defeat in their last five home matches, although their home record is still slightly unconvincing. They have claimed just two wins in that run while the other two fixtures have ended in draws.
Sheffield United were victorious in their previous Championship fixture as they triumphed 2-0 over Peterborough United. Following a scoreless first half, Billy Sharp grabbed the opener while a late own goal from Callum Morton sealed the win.
That was the second straight win for Sheffield United, who have now suffered just one defeat in their last nine Championship matches. Paul Heckingbottom’s men are sitting just outside the top 10 and can climb to ninth on the table if results go their way this weekend.
Sheffield United also have a decent record on the road and travel to Birmingham with just one defeat in their last six Championship away matches. However, defending remains a problem as evidenced by a recent 2-2 draw at Preston North End where they threw away a two-goal lead.
How the bookies view it
Sheffield United have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 23/20 by Quinnbet to claim the win. A victory for Birmingham City is valued at 14/5 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 12/5 by SBK.
Recent head to head
Birmingham City are unbeaten in the last six matches against Sheffield United and claimed a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in October. Two of the last three meetings have ended in draws, including a 1-1 scoreline in the most recent meeting at St Andrew’s.
Players to watch
Scott Hogan scored for the third straight match last time out to take his tally for the season to 10 Championship goals. The striker could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 11/4 with bet365.
Billy Sharp continues to roll back the years and has now scored eight Championship goals for Sheffield United this season. The veteran striker has found the net in his last two away matches and is priced at 15/8 by Quinnbet to maintain that scoring run.
Anything else catch the eye?
There have been over 3.5 goals in Birmingham City’s last two matches and a similar outcome is priced at 31/10 by BetVictor. Over 2.5 goals is valued at 6/5 by bet365 while Coral is offering odds of 10/11 on both teams to score.
Birmingham City and Sheffield have scored late goals in their last few matches making the second half a good tip as the highest scoring half at 6/5 with Paddy Power.
This England Championship match between Birmingham City and Sheffield United will be played on Feb 4, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Birmingham City vs Sheffield United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
