Burnley vs Sheffield United Odds
| Burnley Odds | -125 |
| Sheffield United Odds | +350 |
| Draw | +260 |
| Over / Under | 2.5 -106 / -118 |
The Clarets will be hosting Sheffield United this Saturday at Turf Moor in a match that could have massive implications on the relegation zone. Both sides are coming off home defeats and will be thinking this is the chance to gain some momentum for the rest of the season.
Burnley are coming off a heartbreaking 2-1 loss at the hands of David Moyes’ West Ham side. Vincent Kompany’s men conceded two goals in the final 10 minutes of a match that was majority in their control. They currently sit rock bottom of the Premier League but a win on Saturday would be enough to leapfrog relegation rivals Sheffield United.
The Blades have been just as disappointing as Burnley in these first 13 matches of the season. They currently sit 18th in the league with just 5 points and are coming off one of their poorest performances of the season, losing 3-1 at home to a struggling Bournemouth side.
It may not look like the most exciting match, but this one could have a huge impact on the bottom of the league table. Let’s see how I predict Burnley vs Sheffield United.
Burnley
Burnley came into this season with the highest expectations out of the three promoted clubs, they have arguably been the worst so far. They need to start picking up points from somewhere or else they will be forced to change the man on the touchline. No matter how bad they want it to work with Kompany, they simply cannot keep losing every match.
The Clarets have only picked up four points this season and come into this match having lost seven straight in all competitions, only scoring four goals in the process. Their form over these first 13 matches is historically bad as they are only on pace for around 12 points.
It is no secret that Kompany has set up his side wrong tactically in almost every match, especially at Turf Moor. The former Manchester City captain has set them up to play in a similar style to City and Arsenal, when they should be trying to play more like Everton, Luton and Forest with the personnel at Kompany’s disposal. This has led to an unbelievably poor home form, losing all seven matches at Turf Moor this season.
One of the few signs of encouragement for this side came in their last match against West Ham. For 80 minutes Burnley were far and away the better side. For the last 10 minutes of that match, they reverted to the Burnley we have become accustomed to seeing this year. But like I said, there were some signs of encouragement.
Sheffield United
If there has been one side that has been worse than Burnley this season, it would be Sheffield United. The Blades have only picked up one point away from home this season, giving up 15 goals in the six matches away from Bramall Lane.
There are no clear answers as to why they have been as bad as they have, instead it has been a multitude of factors contributing to this horrid start. One is that they have been one of the unluckiest sides in the league with injuries. Basham, Egan, Norrington-Davies, Davies, Coulibaly, Brewster and Jebbison have all missed significant time. Every team in the league will get injuries but for a newly promoted side with much less depth in their squad, it makes it much harder to compete.
The second reason is the simple fact that they have less talent than other sides around them. And the third reason is that Heckingbottom does not seem to know how to set up his side against Premier League opposition. Sheffield United were a fantastic defensive unit in the Championship last season, but this year they are conceding 2.6 goals per match and conceding the most shots in the league.
Their midfield is played through far too easily, partly due to the injuries but also the fact that Oliver Norwood and Costa are their two double pivot midfielders shows what a disastrous season it has been. They both offer very little in breaking up play in the middle of the park, and when they can, they only have Archer and Hamer as the outlets. While they have been some of the few bright spots in this season, they are not target men.
Burnley vs Sheffield United
Prediction
Neither of these sides have shown very many signs of encouragement from a fan perspective, but from a betting perspective I will be putting my money on Burnley to get a result at home. Last week against West Ham was the first time all season where they were able to control the game.
I anticipate much of the same this week, mostly because Kompany’ tactics are spot on against Championship level clubs. Sheffield United are a Championship level club and I expect Burnley to control the majority of possession and pick up their first points at Turf Moor this season.
