English Premier
2021-03-06 - Sheffield United vs Southampton
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 6th March 2021 - Kick Off 3pm
This game is live on TV
Sheffield United
It feels like the last six weeks have come too late for Sheffield United, but even now Chris Wilder's men are fighting tooth and nail to earn positive results. They played a large amount of the second half with ten men against Aston Villa, but held the European chasers at arm's length for much of it which led to a narrow win for The Blades as their narrow path towards safety gets a little wider.
They may remain bottom of the Premier League table, but Sheffield United are now 12 points from safety with 33 points still available. It would arguably be the greatest escape from relegation in top flight history, never mind Premier League history, but the dream remains alive. The side have a 3-1-10 record at home in the League and Sheffield United have scored 10 goals and conceded 20.
Sheffield United had lost 4 Premier League games in a row before beating Aston Villa on Wednesday afternoon and they will be looking to build on the momentum with another home victory on Saturday. They have won 5 of their last 8 games at Bramall Lane in all competitions, although 3 of those wins have come against lower League opposition in the FA Cup and Sheffield United have lost the other 3.
Phil Jagielka was sent off on Wednesday and that has put the pressure on Sheffield United with many of their defenders absent for this fixture. It sounds like the injury list will be the same as the one before the game against Aston Villa and so the absence of Jagielka is a big blow.
Southampton
The FA Cup run will be important to the Southampton players and fans, but there is a feeling that they need a big result in the Premier League sooner rather than later. At the same time as they have managed to win three FA Cup ties, Southampton have been struggling for any positive results in the Premier League and the gap to the bottom three has narrowed significantly over the last two weeks.
The defeat at Everton on Monday evening has dropped Southampton into 14th place in the Premier League table and they are 7 points clear of the bottom three, although a win for Fulham on Thursday would effectively halve that. The Saints have a 3-4-6 record away from home in the Premier League so far this season.
Southampton have beaten Shrewsbury Town, Arsenal and Wolves in the FA Cup, but since they beat Liverpool in their first Premier League game in 2021 Southampton have lost 8 of 9 League games. In that time they have picked up a sole point and Southampton head to Yorkshire having lost 5 away Premier League games in succession and 4 of those without scoring a goal.
Injuries have hurt the Southampton momentum, but Kyle Walker-Peters, Ibrahima Diallo and Takumi Minamino are all expected to return to the squad. Moussa Djenepo is a doubt.
Head to Head
Southampton beat Sheffield United 3-0 at home earlier this season.
Last season The Saints did the Premier League double over Sheffield United having won 0-1 here before a comfortable home victory over them.
Prediction
The 1-0 win over Aston Villa will be seen as a hugely positive result for Sheffield United, but there is still a long road to tread towards safety and it is the longest of long-shots.
They will be feeling pretty confident going into this fixture, but Phil Jagielka's sending off has left Sheffield United with very few options in defensive areas. That will likely put some pressure on their forwards to score the goals that may be needed to secure a positive result and this is a big opportunity for Southampton to earn something to reverse their negative trend.
Amazingly Southampton have picked up a single point from the last 27 available in the Premier League and they would be foolish to believe they are out of a relegation battle. If Fulham have won on Thursday the gap to the bottom three will feel far too close and Ralph Hasenhuttl knows his team need to find a break or two very quickly.
In reality they haven't been playing badly of late, but it has been a switch from earlier this season when Southampton were earning points out of games they were perhaps undeserving of doing. Now the opposite has been happening with Southampton deserving more than they are getting, but continuing in their current vein should see a reversal of form.
Injuries have not helped Southampton so they won't be sympathetic to Sheffield United's issues, but there are going to be a couple of key players returning for them this weekend. That could prove the difference on the day as Southampton look to reverse the slump they are in and I think they are capable of doing that as long as they continue to attack with the verve they have been.
Kyle Walker-Peters return is hugely important to the balance of the team, while Southampton are a big threat from set pieces. I expect they will find the hosts a little tired after the effort put into their last game and I think Southampton take advantage as they look to move away from any late relegation problems.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Sheffield United 0-1 Southampton
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
I'll back Southampton - 0.25 Asian Handicap @ 1.77 with BetVictor
