As the Barclays Premier League nears its end following a uniquely turbulent season, Thursday night’s clash brings us an unlikely battle for a potential European place when Leicester City host Sheffield United. With just 6 points separating 3rd and 7th place, the top 4 race is tightening.
We’ve taken a look at both teams previous performance leading into this match as well as the surrounding circumstances to come up with our betting tip for this one. An unlikely top 4 battle lies ahead, so let’s take a closer look.
Leicester slowly slipping since the restartBefore football was ground to an enforced temporary halt back in March, Leicester City looked to have all but cemented their place in the top 4. However, a series of sketchy results since the resort has seen them slip into 4th place, with their chances of playing Champions League Football next season hanging perilously in the balance. The last outing for Brendan Rogers’ side perhaps brought the worst result of their season so far as they were handed a 4-1 defeat from relegation bound Bournemouth. With just 1 win in their last 5, things aren’t looking great for the foxes
Sheffield United’s monumental rise continuesThe fact that a freshly promoted team that were playing League One football just 3 seasons ago are challenging for a top 4 spot makes great viewing for the neutral football fan. Chris Wilder’s side have lit up the Premier League this season with an impressive brand of old school, back to basics football that has served them well and sees them sit in 7th place, just 4 points off the top 4. The Blades are undefeated in their last 4, including 2 comfortable home victories over Spurs and Chelsea. The buoyant Yorkshire outfit will be confident of dispatching another top 4 rival on Thursday evening.
The history between these two teams is pretty thin, as they’ve only met 7 times since 2009, with 4 of those games being played in the Championship. The stats from those 7 matches is great reading for Foxes fans, as they are undefeated against the Blades, having won 5 and drawn 2, scoring 13 goals in the process. Furthermore, Leicester have never failed to score against Sheffield United. When they met at Bramall Lane earlier in the season, Leicester came out 2-1 winners, however the Foxes’ fortune has taken a dramatic turn for the worst since then.
Below, we’ve compiled the results from the past 5 meetings between Leicester and Sheffield United as well as some statistical highlights that have helped us create our betting tips for this match. We’ve also looked at recent form in order to come up with our prediction.
Having analysed the above information plus recent form, we’re predicting a win for the Blades as they look to push closer to their unforeseen dream of a top 4 spot come the end of the season.
Blades bound for gloryIf you’d asked us back in March, there’s no way we would’ve been predicting a loss for Brendan Rogers’ side in this match, but the prolonged break doesn’t seem to have served this Leicester side well. The Foxes only have 1 win in 7 since the restart, which has seen them lose a 3rd place spot that looked to be set in stone. Perhaps the only statistical saving grace for Leicester is that they have managed to score in 5 of those 7 games.
Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United side also suffered a disappointing restart, as the went 3 games without a win, however they managed to turn their fortunes around with a 3-1 win over Spurs and have been on the up ever since.
Our betting tip for this one is a Sheffield United win + both teams to score, which you can place with Bet365 who are offering generous odds of 8.5.
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