Chelsea vs. Sheffield United Odds
| Chelsea Odds | -435 |
| Sheffield United Odds | +1150 |
| Draw | +525 |
| Over/Under | 2.5 (-162 / +130) |
| Day | Time | Sunday | 9:30 a.m. ET |
| How To Watch | ESPN+ |
| Odds as of Saturday afternoon and via DraftKings. | |
The first of two FA Cup quarterfinal games Sunday looks like quite a mismatch. Chelsea, which has moved to fourth place in the Premier League, reached the Champions League quarterfinals and is still yet to be defeated under manager Thomas Tuchel.
Meanwhile, Sheffield United is all but certain to be relegated from the Premier League and preparing for a return to the Championship under caretaker manager Paul Heckingbottom.
Here's a closer look at the two clubs, followed by a prediction.
Chelsea
Yes, Chelsea has now gone 13 games unbeaten (nine wins and four draws) across all competitions under Tuchel. Even more impressive is the fact the Blues have conceded just two goals in those 13 games, with one coming via an own goal.
Take a bow, Takumi Minamino. You're the only opposing player whose been able to crack Chelsea's defense under the new manager thus far. And that was a month ago in a 1-1 draw with Southampton.
Chelsea's most recent result was a 2-0 victory over Atlético Madrid, which clinched a spot in the USC quarterfinals. It was the Blues' sixth consecutive clean sheet.
The down side — if there is one — is Chelsea hasn't looked nearly as dominant going forward with Tuchel in charge. The Blues haven't scored more than two goals in any of those aforementioned 13 matches, only reaching that total five times. Chelsea also have played three scoreless draws against Wolves, Manchester United and Leeds United during that stretch.
The results have still been good enough to boost the Blues into the top four in the table, though. Currently, Chelsea has 51 points and sits three ahead of West Ham United entering Sunday's fixtures. The Hammers do have a game in hand, which they'll make up against Arsenal later in the day.
Currently, Chelsea has a 66 percent of finishing in the league's top four, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Sheffield United
It's been a disaster of a season for Sheffield United, and it's not getting any better. The Blades' first match under Heckingbottom, who took the reins after the club parted ways with manager Chris Wilder, was embarrassing to say the least in their 5-0 shutout loss at Leicester City last Sunday.
The Foxes were missing James Maddison and Harvey Barnes, but it certainly didn't matter. Sheffield United was outshot by a 19-1 margin in the blowout loss. Leicester City talisman Jamie Vardy failed to score, and Sheffield United still gave up five goals at King Power Stadium.
A look at the table makes for dim viewing as well. A year after finishing in ninth place, Sheffield United is dead last in the standings with 14 points from 29 matches. The Blades are 14 points behind 17th-place Newcastle United in the race for safety.
Sheffield United has scored just one goal in its past six matches. It was the only goal in a rather fortunate 1-0 win over Aston Villa, which was without standout Jack Grealish and still outshot the Blades by a 16-9 margin.
The other five results during that six-match span were defeats, with a total of 13 goals conceded. Yuck.
Betting Analysis & Pick
Chelsea played against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane back on Feb. 7, which marked Tuchel's fourth match in charge. The Blues wound up securing a 2-1 win, with Antonio Rudiger's own goal accounting for Sheffield United's tally. With the shots comparison even at 8-8 in the contest, it wasn't an impressive performance by either side.
However, that was several weeks ago. Chelsea has continued building momentum, while Sheffield United is sputtering toward the end of the season. Having watched Leicester City steamroll the Blades last weekend, it's hard to imagine Chelsea winning by just a goal.
Pick: Chelsea -1.5 (-148)
