Sheffield Utd vs Bristol City prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-04-17 18:45.
A come-from-behind 4-1 win over Cardiff on Saturday gave promotion hopefuls Sheffield United a five-point cushion over third-placed Luton Town with a game in hand. Boss Paul Heckingbottom spoke about being in “a position where it’s about us” as the hosts look to juggle their priorities ahead of an upcoming trip to Wembley for their first FA Cup semi-final since 2014 against Manchester City.
That historic occasion could give extra impetus to United to extend their impressive home form and remain in high spirits. The hosts have won 11 of their last 13 competitive matches (L2) at Bramall Lane giving a distinct cutting edge to the Blades against Bristol City, a team they are unbeaten against since March 2019 (W3, D1).
The visitors fell to a 2-0 defeat against Watford on Saturday, leaving them firmly in a mid-table spot and nearly equidistant from the relegation and the play-off zones. Manager Nigel Pearson spoke of a disappointing result despite “playing really well,” but the real challenge would be to lift his side when there’s little to gain or lose.
There are still incentives to cling on to, as City look to avoid losing both league H2Hs in a single season for the first time since 2013/14 after a slender 1-0 H2H defeat last November. The Robins also have a responsibility towards their traveling fans, having seen them endure the pain of four defeats across six road trips (W1, D1), whilst scoring in only one game during the sequence.
Players to watch: James McAtee registered United’s opener on Saturday and has three direct goal contributions (G2, A1) from his last three league appearances. Andreas Weimann could enjoy the occasion, having scored a hat-trick here in Bristol’s last H2H win in March 2019, though he also has three yellow cards across his last four H2H matches.
Hot stat: Only Birmingham City have scored more opening goals within the first 15 minutes than United’s 11 during this Championship campaign.