It is a battle of the in-form teams as Sheffield United host Middlesbrough in a midweek Championship fixture. While both teams have generally impressed lately, Boro have dropped some points on their travels and that could give Sheffield the upper hand here.
Sheffield United remain well on course for automatic promotion as they hold a 10-point lead over the chasing pack. However, the title race does not appear to be quite so straightforward with leaders Burnley seven points clear and looking almost unstoppable at the moment.
All Sheffield United can do for now is maintain their good form having gone unbeaten in 13 matches across all competitions with their last defeat coming in November. They have won their last two matches and claimed a 3-0 victory over Swansea in their previous Championship fixture.
That result is an extension of Sheffield United’s impressive record at Bramall Lane, which has been a fortress this season. Paul Heckingbottom’s men have now won their last six home matches across all competitions.
Middlesbrough’s turnaround under manager Michael Carrick has been nothing short of impressive. They have looked a different side since the former Manchester United midfielder took charge and are now vying for a playoff place.
Boro travel to Bramall Lane off the back of a 3-1 victory at Cardiff City in their previous Championship fixture. That was their third straight win and they have scored no less than two goals in each of those fixtures.
While the win at Cardiff City will be pleasing, Middlesbrough have appeared a bit erratic on their recent travels. They were beaten 2-0 by Sunderland prior to the trip to Wales while a 2-1 defeat to Burnley is also among recent results on the road.
How the bookies view it
Sheffield United have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 11/10 by Betfred. A victory for Middlesbrough is valued at 3/1 by BoyleSports while a draw is set at odds of 23/10 by William Hill.
Head to head
Sheffield United have a 35-29 advantage with 17 draws from 81 previous matches with Middlesbrough. Both teams battled to a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture back in August while the Blades have won the last three meetings at Bramall Lane.
Players to watch
Oliver McBurnie appears to be returning to his best and has found the net in two of his last three appearances for Sheffield United. The attacker was on target last time out against Swansea and is priced at 2/1 by bet365 to score anytime.
Chuba Akpom remains the main attacker for Middlesbrough and will be keen to add to his 16 Championship goals this season. Having netted a brace in the reverse fixture, he could be worth keeping an eye on to find the net on Wednesday at 12/5 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
There is plenty of attacking quality on both sides and having produced over 3.5 goals in their last two meetings, a repeat could be considered at 11/4 with bet365. Over 2.5 goals is valued at 11/10 by Betfred while bet365 is offering 5/6 on both teams to score.
There have been second half goals for both teams in the last two meetings and Wednesday’s clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 5/2 with bet365.
This England Championship match between Sheffield United and Middlesbrough will be played on Feb 15, 2023 and kick off at 21:00. 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.
