Sheffield United continue their pursuit of Championship leaders Burnley as they travel to Blackpool on Thursday. The Blades have impressed in recent weeks and should be too strong for Blackpool, who are struggling near the bottom of the table.
Sitting in the relegation zone, two points from safety, Blackpool need a quick turnaround in fortunes if they are to beat the drop this season. They are currently winless in their last seven Championship matches, suffering four defeats in that run.
A small positive for Blackpool is that they are unbeaten in their last three matches, although all three fixtures have ended in draws. They played out a 1-1 scoreline at Hull City in their Boxing Day fixture with Sonny Carey’s first half opener cancelled out by the hosts.
Michael Appleton’s men have claimed just two wins in their last 10 home matches, suffering six defeats in that run.
In contrast to Blackpool’s struggles near the bottom of the table, Sheffield United are enjoying a solid campaign at the opposite end. They are well on course for automatic promotion and are only behind leaders Burnley on goal difference.
Sheffield United have been particularly impressive in recent weeks and head to Bloomfield Road off the back of four straight wins. They claimed a 3-1 victory over Coventry City in their previous fixture with James McAtee, Ciaran Clark and Tommy Doyle getting their goals.
The Blades also have a solid record on their travels this season and have won their last four away matches. Paul Heckingbottom’s men have beaten West Brom and Bristol City in that run and also claimed a 2-1 victory at Wigan Athletic in their previous fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Blackburn Rovers have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 7/8 by SBK to claim the win. Blackpool are considered outsiders at home at 7/2 with BoyleSports while a draw is set at odds of 11/4 by bet365.
Head to head
Sheffield United have a 17-12 advantage with 13 draws from 42 previous matches with Blackpool. However, the last two meetings have ended in draws, including a 3-3 scoreline in the reverse fixture back in October.
Players to watch
Jerry Yates remains the leading scorer for Blackpool with nine goals and will be the one to watch on Thursday. The striker netted a brace in that thrilling encounter in October and is priced at 10/3 by bet365 to get on the score sheet.
After sitting out the Boxing Day win over Coventry City, Oliver McBurnie could return to the starting line up on Thursday. The striker is aiming to add to his nine Championship goals this season and could be backed to find the net at 17/10 with William Hill.
Anything else catch the eye?
It was a six goals thriller in the reverse fixture and given the attacking quality on both sides, another high scoring encounter could be on the cards. Over 3.5 goals could be considered at 66/25 by Betfred, who are also offering 21/20 for over 2.5 goals while both teams could be backed to score at 20/23 by BoyleSports.
Sheffield United have scored in both halves in their last two matches and Thursday’s clash could be set to follow a similar pattern at 2/1 with Unibet.
This England Championship match between Blackpool and Sheffield United will be played on Dec 29, 2022 and kick off at 20:15. Check below for our tipsters best Blackpool vs Sheffield United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
