The race for the Europa League spots continues in the English Premier League as Sheffield United hosts Wolverhampton at Bramall Lane on July 8, 2020. Game time is at 1:00 PM EST and the match will be aired live via NBCSN.
The Blades came from behind to force a draw in their last assignment but after Tottenham won on Monday, Sheffield has dropped to ninth in the English Premier League table. On the other hand, the Wolves suffered a rare loss to resurgent Arsenal in their last outing. Wolverhampton is now in sixth place, three behind Manchester United. They cannot afford more slip-ups if they want to keep up with the pace.
Sheffield United has slipped to 9th place in the English Premier League standings. The Blades have the same points as Tottenham but have an inferior goal difference. They are one point behind Arsenal, four off Wolverhampton, and seven behind Manchester United, which currently occupies the Europa League spot.
Sheffield is coming off a 1-1 draw against Burnley in their last assignment. James Tarkowski opened the scoring for Burnley with a goal in the 43rd minute but John Egan was able to let Sheffield equalize with a score in the 80th minute. The win was United’s first since the season resumed. They also have two draws and three losses during the period.
Lys Mousset leads the Blades with a total of six goals scored this season. Oliver McBurnie and John Fleck each have netted five times for Sheffield United. Mousset also leads the teams with a total of four assists this season while Enda Stevens and George Baldock have three assists apiece.
The Blades are the third-best defensive team in England with only a total of 33 goals allowed. They are, however, only 16th in scoring with a total of 34 goals scored. Sheffield United is 15th in assists with 22 on the year. The Blades are ranked 9th in England with a goal difference of +1.
The Wolverhampton Wanderers are currently occupying 6th place in the English Premier League table. The Wolves have a record of 13-13-7 with a total of 52 points earned. They are right in the thick of the Champions League race as they are only six points behind third-place Leicester City and five off Chelsea’s pace. Manchester United is also three points ahead of them for the Europa League spot but if Manchester City’s ban is upheld, the Wolves will go to the Europa League.
In their last outing, the Wolves suffered a 0-2 setback at the hands of Arsenal. The defeat was Wolverhampton’s first defeat since losing to Liverpool last January 23rd. Bukayo Saka scored in the 43rd minute while Alexandre Lacazette gave the Gunners the insurance goal in the 86th minute. The Wolves have dropped to 3-0-1 since the restart with all of their wins coming via clean sheets.
Raul Jimenez leads the Wolves with a total of 15 goals on the year. Diogo Jota has netted six times while Adama Traore has found the back of the net four times. Traore also leads the team with a total of nine assists on the season. Jimenez also has six assists while Joao Moutinho has six assists and one goal for Wolverhampton.
Wolverhampton is the 6th best defensive team in the league with only a total of 36 goals conceded. They are 8th in scoring with a total of 45 goals on the year. The Wolves are 7th in passing with a total of 31 assists on the season. Wolverhampton’s goal difference of +9 is also 6th overall in the EPL.
With the teams on top of them in the table winning last weekend, there is pressure on Wolverhampton as they try to keep the 6th spot which could earn them a Europa League spot. The loss to Arsenal snapped an eight-match unbeaten streak but more than that, the Wolves have scored just five goals in their last six matches across all competition.
Sheffield has been slow off the gates in the restart but four points from their matches against Tottenham and Burnley have gotten them back on track. The Champions League may be out of the equation now but if Sheffield can win on Wednesday, they will move to within one point of the 6th placed Wolves.
These teams have met in a total of 109 times in the past and this has been as close as it can get. Sheffield United has a record of 37-36-36 in their all-time series. These teams played to a 1-1 draw in their reverse fixture last December 2019.
Sheffield is the 9th best home squad in England with a record of 8-3-5 with a total of 27 points earned in their home matches. Meanwhile, the Wolves are the third-best home team in the Premier League with a record of 7-6-3 in their away matches for a total of 27 points from their road matches.
The Wolves have won their last three away matches. Sheffield has won two out of their last three home matches in the Premier League but they have only won once in their last eight head to head meetings against the Wolves.
This is a big match for Wolverhampton as they cannot afford to lose back to back matches if they want to catch up with Manchester United and Chelsea in the Premier League table. However, they will have to do better on Wednesday than they did against Arsenal. Sheffield hasn’t been in top form but they beat Tottenham last July 2. I will take the better side in this matchup.
Prediction: Wolverhampton (+117)
Sheffield United PK
+104
Wolverhampton PK
-124
Odds from Betonline as of 07/07/2020
Wolverhampton has scored two or more goals in three out of their last five away Premier League matches. They have also kept clean sheets in three out of their last four matches on the road. I like the Wolves to cover the spread here.
Prediction: Wolverhampton PK (-124)
The Miami Heat look to take a 2-0 series lead against the Milwaukee Bucks in…
The New York Mets head to Yankee Stadium to open a three-game series against the…
The Minnesota Twins play Game 2 of a three-game set against the New York Yankees…
The OKC Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans meet at the Smoothie King Center on Wednesday…
The No.8 Atlanta Hawks visit the No. 7 Miami Heat in the first play-in tournament…
The OKC Thunder visit the Utah Jazz at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt…