Bristol City and Sheffield United go head-to-head at Ashton Gate Stadium in the first leg of the Championship playoff semi-finals on Thursday, May 8th. View our England Championship betting tips for the clash below.
Bristol City vs Sheffield United Best Odds
| Bristol City 17/10 (+170) | X 21/10 (+210) | Sheffield United 17/10 (+170) |
| Over 13/8 (+163) | 2.5 Goals | Under 1/2 (-200) |
| Yes 6/5 (+120) | BTTS | No 8/13 (-163) |
Bristol City vs Sheffield United Analysis
Bristol City
Bristol City snatched a place in the playoffs in dramatic style at the weekend when they came from two goals down to rescue a point at home to Preston (2-2).
The Robins are now unbeaten in eight games at Ashton Park and only three visiting teams have left that venue with maximum points in the Championship since August.
Thursday’s opponents, Sheffield United, were one of those victorious visitors (2-1 in Nov), however, the teams will kick Thursday’s semi-final first leg on a more equal footing this time around, according to the prices on the UK best betting sites, at least.
Team news: Mark Sykes, Cameron Pring, Luke McNally and Harry Cornick are all sidelined for Bristol City through injury.
Predicted Lineup: O’Leary, Tanner, Dickie, Vyner, Hirakawa, Williams, Knight, McCrorie, Bird, Twine, Wells
Sheffield United
Sheffield United amassed an impressive 90 points during the regular Championship season, however, that wasn’t enough to secure automatic promotion ahead of formidable centurions, Leeds and Burnley.
Still, the Blades are favourites on EFL betting sites to secure promotion to the Premier League through the playoffs and United do look like the best-equipped sides to push for glory at Wembley Stadium.
Their away form has been troublesome of late however, and Sheff Utd’s run of three defeats in four away assignments is a definite cause for concern for experienced boss Chris Wilder.
Team news: Sheffield United could be without Harrison Clarke, Rhys Norrington-Davies, Ollie Arblaster and Sai Sachdev on Thursday.
Predicted Lineup: Davies, Gilchrist, Holding, Ahmedhodzic, McCallum, Souza, Peck, Brooks, O’Hare, Hamer, Cannon
Bristol City vs Sheffield United Stats and Trends
- Both teams scored in each of the two meetings between Bristol City and Sheffield United during the regular Championship campaign.
- Bristol City have won only one of their last five fixtures in the Championship.
- Six of Bristol City’s last seven games at Ashton Gate have produced over 2.5 goals.
- Ross McCrorie has scored four times in his last four appearances at Ashton Gate for Bristol City.
Bristol City vs Sheffield United Prediction
Sheffield United earned four points from their two meetings with Bristol City during the regular Championship campaign, however, margins were slim on each occasion with late goals in each contest affecting the result.
The teams shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw when they last crossed paths in March and they could be difficult to separate again in Thursday’s semi-final first leg. City have lost only one of their last 15 matches on home soil and they should be a tough nut to crack at Ashton Gate again here. Look to back a draw in the match result market in this one.
Prediction: Draw – 21/10 (+210) – Fitzdares
Bristol City vs Sheffield United – The Ultimate Bet:
Both teams to score – Yes – 6/5 (+120)
Bristol City and Sheffield United both managed to impact the scoresheet in each of the clubs’ two meetings earlier in the campaign (1-2, 1-1) and BTTS could be an avenue to explore again for Thursday’s playoff clash.
Ashton Gate has been a fertile hunting ground for BTTS bettors this year with 100% of Bristol City’s last seven matches at that venue delivering goals at both ends, while 61% of the Robins’ total league games at that ground this term have seen both teams score overall. Expect a similar outcome on Thursday evening.
