A big Premier League showdown will happen on Saturday, July 11, 2020, when Sheffield United hosts Chelsea. The Blades are trying to hold on to the final Europa League spot while the Blues are hoping to solidify their current Champions League position.
Sheffield boosted their Europa chances with a last-minute win over Wolverhampton in their last outing. The win enabled them to move to 7th place and temporarily lead the Europa League by one point. Meanwhile, Chelsea overtook Leicester with a thrilling 3-2 win over Crystal Palace the last time out. They are in third place and one point above the Foxes with four matches left to play.
Heading to Thursday’s matches, Sheffield United are sitting on 7th place in the English Premier League table with a record of 13-12-9 and a total of 51 points earned from their matches. They are currently occupying the final Europa League spot and are one point ahead of Arsenal and two points on top of Burnley. The Blades are also three points clear of Tottenham, although the Spurs have a game on hand on Thursday,
In their last match, Sheffield came away with an uninspiring home win against the Wolves. The game was tied until the 93rd minute when John Egan scored the winning goal for Sheffield United. They are unbeaten in their last three matches with two wins and one draw and they have bolstered their Europa League chances after a rough beginning to their restart.
Lys Mousset leads the Blades with a total of six goals scored this season. Oliver McBurnie and John Fleck have each scored five goals for Sheffield United this term. Mousset leads the team with a total of four assists on the year while Enda Stevens and George Baldock have three assists and two goals each.
Sheffield is the third-best defensive team in England with only a total of 33 goals allowed. They are tied for 15th place in scoring with an aggregate of 35 goals scored this term. The Blades also rank 15th in passing with a total of 23 assists on the year. Their goal difference of +2 is ranked 9th overall in the league.
Chelsea is currently in third place in the English Premier League standings with a total of 60 points earned from a record of 18-6-10. The Blues are five points ahead of 5th place Manchester United who occupy the first Europa League spot but the Red Devils have a game on hand on Thursday.
The Blues were engaged in another high scoring affair the last time out. Chelsea went on the road and pulled off a 3-2 win over Crystal Palace. Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic put the Blues on top 2-0 in the 27th minute but Wilfred Zaha netted in the 34th to keep Crystal Palace within striking distance. However, Tammy Abraham netted the insurance goal in the 71st minute to give the Blues all three points. Chelsea has won five and lost one since play restarted.
Tammy Abraham leads the Blues with a total of 14 goals scored on the season. Midfielders Willian and Christian Pulisic each have contributed nine goals for Chelsea’s cause. Willian also leads the team with a total of six assists on the year while Cesar Azpilicueta has six assists and two goals scored. Mason Mount is also a valued contributor with four assists and six goals this season.
The Blues are the 4th best scoring team in the league with a total of 63 scored this season. They are tied for 10th place in goals conceded with a total of 46 allowed on the year. Chelsea is 4th in passing with an aggregate of 42 assists on the term and their goal difference of +17 is 5th overall in England.
After being unable to pick up a win in their first four matches since the season restarted, Sheffield United has shown resilience as they are unbeaten in their last three matches with wins over Tottenham and Wolverhampton plus a draw with Burnley. However, they will face a tough opponent in Chelsea which has won seven out of their last eight Premier League matches and the FA Cup.
The Blues’ win al Selhurst Park meant that they have dropped only one of their last seven away matches across all competition. Although they have shown a leaky back this year, they have thrived on offense and that has led them to their current standing. Their road success this year leads us to believe that they will take all three points in this matchup.
These teams have played each other in a total of 80 matches. Chelsea holds the advantage in their head to head series with a record of 37-16-27. These teams played to a 2-2 draw in their reverse fixture held last August 2019.
Sheffield United have the 8th best home record in England with a record of 9-3-5 and a total of 30 points earned from their home matches. On the other hand, Chelsea is the second best-road club in the English Premier League with a record of 9-3-5 and a total of 30 points earned from their away matches.
Sheffield United will not go away with a fight. They are playing some of their best football of the year. But Chelsea is just a much better team and they too are playing excellent football right now. I will pick a better and more consistent team to win this match.
Prediction: Chelsea (-167)
Although the Blues are favored to win, they have a suspect defense and that should allow Sheffield United to score at least one goal here. The Blades only have 35 goals scored this season but five of those have come in the last three games, including three against Tottenham.
Attacking hasn’t been the issue for the Blues and they have been involved in high-scoring matches because of a leaky defense. Chelsea only has a total of seven clean sheets in 34 league matches. When it comes to scoring though, goals are not a problem for the Blues so I expect both teams to score here.
Prediction: Yes (-106). Odds from Bet365 as of 07/09/2020
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