Aston Villa vs Sheffield Utd prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-12-21 20:00.
[p]After staging a chaotic late comeback to win 2-1 against Brentford last weekend, Aston Villa have a chance to provisionally move to the top of the Premier League (PL) table with a victory over rock-bottom Sheffield United. In that game, the Villans lived up to their moniker as they picked up a straight red card and five yellows, including one for boss Unai Emery, who admitted he has to assess his side’s behaviour.[/p]
[p]Despite their misdeeds, Emery’s men are on the Christmas nice list in terms of home form, as they return to Villa Park, where they are currently enjoying a club record run of 15 straight home PL victories. That run culminated in 1-0 wins over Arsenal and Manchester City, so many fans will be hoping that Villa can give them the gift of another comprehensive win, much like the six straight wins by -1 handicap-busting scorelines that preceded their last two home games.[/p]
[p]Trying to avoid such a fate is Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder, who has picked up just one win from his opening three games since making his dramatic return to the club (W1, L2). Granted, Wilder has faced a baptism of fire with defeats against Chelsea and Liverpool, and with a clash against Manchester City quickly approaching after Boxing Day, the intensity is unrelenting for the Blades.[/p]
[p]The visitors have now failed to score in a joint league-high seven games, and sitting just two points better off than where the infamous Derby side of 2007/08 – statistically the worst side in PL history – were at this stage, it is difficult to make a case for them to bridge the six-point gap to 17th. Perhaps exacerbating the sense of foreboding is that the blunt Blades have conceded 13 times whilst scoring just once in reply across their last four away games. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Villa’s Ollie Watkins (G9) needs just one more goal to mark an eighth consecutive league season with 10+ goals to his name. Gustavo Hamer has assisted the only United goal of this Wilder reign, but each of his last three scoring club appearances ended in defeat. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Only Brighton have scored in both halves of more PL games than Aston Villa (eight – 47%) this season. [/p]