Competition: Championship
Market: Over 1.5 goals
Odds: 4/9 @ Pribet
In what is a real showdown at the top of the Championship table, Sheffield United will welcome Burnley to Bramall Lane on Boxing Day afternoon.
Starting with the hosts, while Sheffield United might have lost their Premier League status with a real whimper last season, the Blades are looking to book an immediate top-flight return. Putting in another dominant display last weekend as they claimed a 2-0 victory away at Cardiff, Chris Wilder’s side open Christmas Day sat at the top of the Championship table. Winning each of their previous three straight appearances, the Blades will be looking to make a heavyweight statement here. Landing another 2-0 win against Plymouth in their most recent showdown at Bramall Lane, the former Middlesbrough boss has not seen his high-flying squad suffer a single defeat from any of their last 11 consecutive Championship outings. With that purple patch stemming all the way back to October 23rd, Wilder’s camp have also gained a fearsome reputation for their success on home soil. Including a 3-0 romp against Oxford last month, Sheffield United have won all of their last eight battles at Bramall Lane.
As for the visitors, avoiding what was a potential banana skin last weekend as they claimed a 2-1 victory against Watford, Burnley find themselves in an almost identical position to their Boxing Day hosts. Securing another eye-catching 2-1 win away at Norwich earlier in the month, Scott Parker’s men open Thursday’s showdown sat just one-point adrift of finding a route back into the automatic promotion spots. Signing off November with a 2-0 victory against Stoke, the former Fulham boss has not seen his squad suffer a single defeat from any of their previous nine Championship appearances. Continuing to impress since returning from November’s international break, the Clarets will also be excited by their success away from Turf Moor. In fact, Burnley have won each of their last three showdowns outside of Lancashire by an aggregate score of 5-1. It should also be noted, Parker’s side have registered 10 points from their previous four Championship battles on their travels.
Bet: Over 1.5 goals at Sheffield United vs Burnley 4/9 for Thursday’s Championship showdown @ Pribet
