Chelsea will be targeting a return to winning ways as they welcome Sheffield United to Stamford Bridge for a Premier League fixture on Saturday. The Blues have done some good work at home lately and having already gotten the better of the other newly promoted sides this season, they will be confident of adding Sheffield to that list.
It has been a rough couple of weeks for Chelsea, who have lost their last two Premier League matches. First they were beaten 2-1 at Manchester United before suffering a 2-0 defeat to resurgent Everton last time out.
Both defeats mean Chelsea have now dropped to 12th on the standings as they seem unable to build any kind of momentum to shoot up the table. The list of absentees also continues to pile up for Mauricio Pochettino’s men with captain Reece James and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez the latest to be ruled out after suffering injuries at Goodison Park.
While things are undoubtedly rough for Chelsea at the moment, they have picked up a few key results at Stamford Bridge. The Blues have lost just once in their last six home matches across all competitions, claiming a 3-2 victory over Brighton in their previous fixture in front of their fans.
Sheffield United travel to Stamford Bridge off the back of a 1-0 victory over Brentford in their previous Premier League fixture. James McAtee struck the only goal on the stroke of halftime and they were able to hold on for the win.
That was only the second win of the season for Sheffield United, who – like the other newly promoted sides – have struggled to cope with the quality in the topflight. The result did little for them as they remained bottom of the standings, five points from safety.
Prior to that win over Brentford, Sheffield United were on a three match losing run. Paul Heckingbottom’s men are also winless on their travels this season, suffering six defeats from seven away matches so far.
How the bookies view it
Chelsea are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 2/9 by Paddy Power. A victory for Sheffield United is valued at 12/1 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 5/1 by BoyleSports.
Head to head
Chelsea have a 35-26 advantage with 16 draws from 77 previous matches against Sheffield United. The Blues have also won the last three meetings and picked up a 2-0 victory in an FA Cup clash at Stamford Bridge back in 2021.
Players to watch
Raheem Sterling came off the bench at Goodison Park and could be handed a start on Saturday. The forward has two goals in the last three matches at Stamford Bridge and is priced at 8/5 by bet365 to find the net on Saturday.
Oliver McBurnie has missed the last two matches due to suspension and is set to return to the team on Saturday. The forward had scored twice in three matches before getting suspended and is priced at 5/1 by Unibet to find the net on Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Chelsea and Sheffield United have looked unconvincing lately and both teams could be tipped to score at 11/10 with Betfred. The Blues saw over 3.5 goals in their previous home fixture and a repeat is priced at 7/5 with Paddy Power while Unibet is offering odds of 11/20 for over 2.5 goals.
Chelsea are priced at minimal odds for a straight victory so a win and over 2.5 goals could be considered at 8/11 with BetVictor.
This English Premier League match between Chelsea and Sheffield United will be played on Dec 16, 2023 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Chelsea vs Sheffield United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
