The English Premier League returns after its three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic with Aston Villa and Sheffield United providing the curtain-raiser on June 17, 2020, when the two sides collide at Villa Park.
Both teams were promoted last term but they have gone opposite directions in 2020. Aston Villa is trying to stave off relegation as Dean Smith’s squad are two points from safety with 25 points right now. On the other hand, the 7th placed Sheffield United currently has 43 points and with a legit shot at going to Europe. The Blades are just two points behind 5th seeded Manchester United.
Underdogs Aston Villa resume their relegation battle as they look to pick up a surprise victory against a Sheffield United side that is looking to move up in the English Premier League table. The Villans head to this home contest having lost each of their last four matches and have allowed a total of 11 goals during that period.
In their last match against Leicester City, Aston Villa was blanked 0-4. The Lions lost out on the possession battle, holding the ball for just 35% of the 90-minute match. Worse, their defense allowed Leicester City to score four goals on seven shots on goal during the match.
Jack Grealish leads the Villans with a total of seven goals scored this season. Wesley has five goals while Anwar El-Ghazi has found the back of the net four times this term. Grealish also leads the squad with a total of six assists while El-Ghazi also has four assists for Ason Villa.
Aston Villa has scored a total of 34 goals this season, 12th in the EPL. They have allowed their opponents to score 56 goals this season, the most in the league. The Lions are ranked 7th overall in assists with a total of 27 on the season while their -22 goal difference is next to last in England.
Sheffield United are seeking a Champions League spot as they are just five points behind 4th placer Chelsea. A win over Aston Villa will push them ahead of Manchester United for 5th place and move them to within two points of the fourth spot. Sheffield’s last four games have been close and they have been able to win three of those matches and force a draw in the other.
Their last match before the suspension of play was against last-placed team Norwich City. In that match, Billy Sharp netted on a header in the first half which proved to be the difference in their 1-0 victory over the Canaries who had more shots on goal and won the possession battle.
John Fleck and Lys Mousset lead Sheffield United with a total of five goals each on the season while John Lundstram has netted four times. Mousset leads the team with four assists while George Baldock and Lundstram each have three assists for Sheffield United.
The Blades rank 15th in the league in goal-scoring with a total of 30 goals scored this season. They are 2nd in the English Premier League when it comes to goals allowed with only a total of 25 goals conceded this term. Sheffield United is tied for 15th overall in assists with 18 this year and their +5 goal difference is 8th overall.
For the Villans to win, they must keep Sheffield United at bay with long possessions and playing better on defense. Pepe Reina is expected to start as the goalkeeper for the Lions but although he has 23 saves, he has allowed a total of 13 goals in six starts. However, Dean Smith could opt for Tom Heaton who has four clean slates in 20 outings with 68 saves for Aston Villa.
Sheffield United finished second in the Championship last season, thanks to excellent goalkeeping and defense. The Blades allowed just 41 goals in 46 matches in the second tier last term and they have been able to carry that defensive effort to the top flight. Sheffield United ranks only next to champion-elect Liverpool with a total of 25 goals allowed this season.
Dean Henderson is expected to defend the net for Sheffield United. Henderson has a total of 10 clean slates with 70 saves in 27 starts this season for the Blades. His goalkeeping has helped Sheffield United steer clear of relegation and has let fans from the South Yorkshire club to dream of making it to Europe.
It’s hard to predict how clubs will do after spending three months away from competition and with only two weeks of training before resuming action.
This match has plenty riding on it for both sided and while I expect Aston Villa to come out with more hunger, I think that the long break will be more of a disadvantage to them.
There is no home atmosphere with no fans inside the stadium and I believe both teams will be rusty to start the match. Because of those factors, I think we will see a close contest and given what Sheffield United has done in close games, I will have to pick the visitors to pick up all three points here.
Prediction: Sheffield United (+132)
Over 2.5
+115
Under 2.5
-135
Odds from SportsBetting as of 06/16/2020
With the way Aston Villa has been leaking goals, I won’t blame you if you think Sheffield United can score enough goals to push the total to over 2.5. However, United has struggled to score this season with Wilder’s boys having the sixth-lowest goal output of the season. On the other hand, the defense has been the Blades’ meal ticket as they have 10 clean sheets this term and have seen the total go under 2.5 goals in 22 out of their 28 league matches. I like the score to go under 2.5 goals.
Prediction: Under 2.5 (-135)
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