To fill the void of a weekend without Premier League football, The Championship presents itself as a worthy alternative for fans of English football. Usually, these gaps are filled with European internationals, however the continent has taken this week and next off too. So, if you are like me and have a thermostat reading less than 10°C in the Northern Hemisphere, England’s 2nd top tier will be the best place for our betting action this weekend. To prepare you for Saturday’s evening game, I’ve compiled three bet builder picks and a complementary Cheat Sheet for Peterborough v Sheffield United at 17:30.
Peterborough will be on hosting duty this weekend at London Road. Their promotion from League 1 last season was not heralded by great expectations of a strong finish in the Championship the following season. So far, they have arguably matched expectations and are in serious relegation contention in 22nd just above the points deducted Derby. The familiar custodian of Peterborough Darren Ferguson has come under fire for recent performances by the fans, but the board has strongly backed the Scotsman who got them promoted last season. Their performance against Birmingham last week showed signs of promise, but a 2-0 lead was blown by The Posh and a vital 3 points was passed up to settle for the draw. The result paints a frustrating picture for Peterborough fans this season whose team have struggled to keep the ball out their own net and consequently boast the worst goal difference in the league.
Making the trip down South will be caretaker manager Paul Heckingbottom’s Sheffield United side. After a disappointing start to the season, the Blade’s original appointment Slavisa Jokanovic was dismissed in November and the replacement Englishman has done enough to steady the ship in Sheffield. They approach this match on Saturday with a good run of form behind them, they’ve notched up 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss from their last 6 league games. This resurgence in form that includes last week’s 2-0 victory against Luton and a 1-0 away win at league leaders Fulham in December has seen them comfortably land in 12th place in the league. Of their recent fixtures, the Sheffield United fans will feel most confident about this fixture at London Road to secure all 3 points against a struggling Peterborough.
There are a few notable absences for either side including disgruntled Peterborough striker Siriki Dembele who was absent from last week’s matchday squad. Championship colleagues Bournemouth and Birmingham have been testing the waters for the Ivorian forward and it is likely he will be omitted again. Similarly, The Blades will be without promising loanee midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White due to a knee injury and there are fitness concerns over Enda Stevens and Lys Mousset to be confirmed on the matchday. Even in light of their absences both teams will be able to field close to full strength teams.
This will be an interesting one, Sheffield are clearly in the ascendency compared to Peterborough who ended 3 straight defeats in the league with a draw last week. However, 16 of their 20 points this season have come at London Road. Their leaky defence will be coming up against Sheffield’s plethora of non-goalscoring strikers (Brewster, Mcburnie, McGoldrick, Mousset etc.) but if the reverse fixture which finished 6-2 to the Blades is anything to go by this one should be one to watch.
Peterborough v Sheffield United Bet Builder Tips
Over 2.5 Goals
You know what they say, the stats don’t lie. The most significant statistic for this selection is coming from Peterborough. In 17 of Peterborough’s 26 games there have been over 2.5 goals for both teams combined. This makes them the most likely team in the championship to record over 2.5 goals in a game at an impressive rate of 65%! Another complementary statistic to this is that these are not just 3,4,5 to nil drubbing handed out by superior teams. In 11 of these 17 games with over 2.5 goals Peterborough have seen both teams score which indicates that there will not be an over reliance on Sheffield to score 3+ goals.
Sheffield United shouldn’t find it difficult to find the net on Saturday that being said. Peterborough have by far the worst goal difference in the league at -30 and that has been largely in part due to shipping another league topping figure of 53 goals! Peterborough also find it easier to find the back of the net at home with 15 of their 23 goals coming on home turf this season. Similarly, Sheffield United have seen over 2.5 goals in a significant number of games this season. In 12 of their 25 league games there has been over 2.5 goals recorded. Most importantly from those 12 instances all but 1 has had both teams contributing to the goals. This means that 44% of the time they play there are over 2.5 goals and BTTS and indicates that they are not without their own defensive frailties. I believe there will be goals flying in at both ends on Saturday evening which will push both teams on in search for winner. Considering the last match produced 8 goals, I believe this looks great value at odds of 1.85.
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Prediction: Over 2.5 Goals
Rhian Brewster 1+ Shots on Target
When Rhian Brewster made the switch from Liverpool to Sheffield the move made a lot of sense to everyone involved. He was never going to get the game time at Liverpool and a transfer to The Blades in 2020 was supposed to reinvigorate their attack to keep them in the Premier League that season. When the transfer fee was mentioned at close to £25 million pounds that was when eyebrows were raised about the credentials of the young forward who had barely featured in the Premier League. He was a definitive turning point of poor recruitment by Chris Wilder and co that eventually led to his own and his team’s downfall that season.
Fast forward to this season and Rhian Brewster is finally showing promise of hatching into the investment that United fans hoped he would. After a slow start to the season the 21-year-old has scored 3 goals in his last 5 league starts. This promising form means he is the number one candidate to pair up with Billy Sharp up front ahead of Mcburnie and the others. This new lease of life has lined up with the arrival of the new caretaker manager who seems to have a solid relationship with the former Liverpool prospect.
He managed to impress last week with a goal against Luton by getting in at the right place and right time, to fire home teammates Jayden Bogle’s mistimed effort. Coming up against the worst defence in the Championship will be an exciting prospect for the young forward who is not scared of troubling the goalkeeper. As per the Cheat Sheet he records an impressive 3.25 shots per game with the majority of those coming from inside the penalty area. This is important because Sheffield will be the team on the front foot for most of the game so Brewster will have the luxury of prowling the six-yard box with a greater chance of hitting the target.
He averages 1.39 shots on target per game which means his accuracy leaves a little to be desired at 43%, but this is an impressive standalone statistic to consistently hit the target. I expect both of his shooting stats to be even higher than average in this game considering where he’ll be shooting from and who he’s lining up against. I wouldn’t be surprised if Brewster grabs a goal tomorrow, but I’ve opted for the safer option with a shot on target at odds of 1.3.
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Prediction: Rhian Brewster to Have 1+ Shots on Target
Nathan Thompson To Be Carded
Nathan Thompson is a versatile defender who has most recently played in the middle of a back 3 for Peterborough. The promising performance against Birmingham last week means that the most likely set up for Darren Ferguson will be the 3-4-1-2 formation that almost gave them victory last week. As well as being a versatile defender for his manager, he is a dirty bastard on the pitch too! This season he’s managed 6 yellow cards from his 23 appearances in the league and racked up an impressive 1.39 fouls per game this season. He’s already missed a match this season through accruing too many cards and I believe he’s on track to pick up another one tomorrow evening.
The Sheffield United frontline have been thorns in defender’s sides this season by drawing fouls and committing them in equal numbers. Oliver Mcburnie (1.96, 1.96), Rhian Brewster (1.28, 1.63), Billy Sharp (1.2, 1.37), and David McGoldrick (1.18, 1.61) all manage to end up on both sides of the referee’s whistle throughout games this season. Even just last week Luton central defender Reece Burke fell victim to their troublesome attack by pulling down Brewster and being sent off. No matter the lineup on Saturday all of their attackers have a similar capacity to put defenders in frustrating and potentially disciplinary situations.
Peterborough are by no means the dirtiest team in the league, certainly not when playing in the same competition as Blackburn. However, they have a significantly higher average number of cards received when playing at home compared to on the road. Playing in front of the fans at London Road has seen them average 1.92 cards per game this season which puts them comfortably in the top half of the home booking stats this season. The referee for this game is on the slightly more card shy end of refs in the championship this season, but I think Thompson in front of the home fans against United’s attack will make him very vulnerable tomorrow. Thompson is available for odds of 2.6 for a booking.
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Prediction: Nathan Thompson to be Carded
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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How to watch Peterborough v Sheffield United in the Championship
📅 When is Peterborough v Sheffield United? / Saturday, 29th January 2022, 17:30
🏟 Where is Peterborough v Sheffield United? / London Road (Peterborough)
📺 What TV channel is Peterborough v Sheffield United on? / Sky Sports Main Event
🟨 …And who is the referee for Peterborough v Sheffield United? / Dean Whitestone 🏴
