Sheffield Utd vs Wigan prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-04-06 14:00.
Battling on very different fronts, Sheffield United and Wigan meet in a clash that has ramifications at both ends of the table, but just who will it be a Good Friday for? Sheffield United will hope the day belongs to them as they bid to stretch the gap on third-placed Middlesbrough, but they will be acutely aware of the threat relegation battling Wigan pose having tasted a 2-1 defeat against a relegation-threatened Reading on Good Friday last season.
With a visit to table-topping Burnley to come on Easter Monday, there’s perhaps added emphasis on Sheffield United to take maximum returns here. It’s something they’ve managed in their last two Championship outings, but considering the Blades are yet to win three successive league outings in 2023, this game may not be as cut-and-dry as the league table suggests.
Wigan will certainly hope it plays out that way, as they head to South Yorkshire on the back of a morale-boosting 1-0 win against QPR at the weekend. Still no fewer than five points from safety despite playing a game more than 21st-placed Cardiff, Wigan look set to make an instant return to League One, with their survival bid certainly not helped by a three-point deduction after a failure to pay players wages.
Defiant in his assessment, boss Shaun Maloney insists his side still “have a chance of staying up”, but to do so his side need to start stringing wins together, and fast. The fact Wigan haven’t won back-to-back Championship games since September tells you everything you need to know as to why they’re heading towards League One, and there appears little chance of that changing here given they travel to Bramall Lane on the back of a 14-match winless away league run (D6, L8).
Key battle: The game decider in Sheffield United’s 1-0 victory over Norwich at the weekend, James McAtee has scored the game’s first goal on his two home scoring appearances this season. Max Power scored Wigan’s winner at the weekend and claimed an assist for Wigan’s final goal the last time they won at Bramall Lane back in 2016 (2-0).
Hot streak: Wigan’s last five away league games have seen exactly one goal scored in the first half.