Burnley vs Sheffield Utd prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-04-09 19:00.
After a gruelling Championship schedule since July, Burnley need worry no more, with their status as a Premier League side for 2023/24 confirmed thanks to a 2-1 victory over Middlesbrough on Good Friday. With seven games still remaining, the table-topping Clarets are the first team in Championship history to be promoted so soon, a remarkable turnaround for a side that was stripped to its bare bones after their top-flight relegation last season.
Such is the relentless attitude of Vincent Kompany, though, Burnley won’t be stopping there and they now welcome second-place Sheffield United bidding to open up an 11-point gap. A 5-2 defeat in the reverse is the main blotch on Kompany’s glistening Championship record this term, but considering he stated back in November that he was already “looking forward” to this game, redemption would serve as the perfect birthday present for the Burnley boss who’s turning 37.
It wasn’t quite as glamorous for Sheffield United on Good Friday, as they stumbled past a relegation-destined Wigan to secure a 1-0 win at Bramall Lane, though Burnley’s victory against Middlesbrough will have served as the icing on the cake of a near-perfect day of results for them. The Blades head into Easter Monday’s action eight points clear of the chasing pack and holding an all-important game in hand as they start to plan dates for their own promotion party.
The Blades won’t be in any mood to roll over for the champions-elect, and on the back of three successive away league victories, nor should they be. Each of those wins came by a slender one-goal margin, with all three winning goals scored in the 60th, 61st and 62nd minute and considering November’s reverse H2H saw Sheffield United score three beyond the 60th minute, Paul Heckingbottom’s side usually start to turn the screw around the hour mark.
Players to watch: The man who sealed Burnley’s promotion, goalscoring full-back Connor Roberts, has seen three of his five goals at Turf Moor serve as game-openers. After two goals and an assist in the reverse, United’s Oliver McBurnie will fancy a return to the goal trail here, with three of his four away league goals this season rounding off the scoring.
Hot streak: Burnley are unbeaten in their last 33 Championship home games (W23, D10).