Liam Kelly previews Sheffield United's trip to face Peterborough at London Road, expecting the home side to struggle again.
Football betting tips: Championship
1.5pts Sheffield United to win at 57/50 (Unibet)
Peterborough head into this game on the back of a desperately demoralising draw, conceding two late goals when appearing set for three points against Birmingham in midweek.
Their first point of 2022 must feel far from a positive, and things don't get any easier on Saturday evening for the relegation-threatened side.
After all, Sheffield United's stock is certainly on the rise, gaining 16 points from their last seven Championship matches, rising to the top half after a very solid 2-0 win against Luton last time out.
Kick-off time: 17:30 GMT, Saturday
TV Channel: Sky Sports Main Event
Peterborough 13/5 | Draw 13/5 | Sheffield United 1/1
Seemingly putting a shaky start to the season behind them, the Blades enter this match-up in a much better place than in the reverse fixture, which ended as a 6-2 Sheffield United win.
Of course, the improvement can't be fully attributed to new manager Paul Heckingbottom, but he has clearly made a difference at the club.
After all, United have averaged 1.59 expected goals for (xGF) and 0.91 expected goals against (xGA) per game in the six games since Heckingbottom took charge, winning four of those.
Such numbers advocate that the odds-against price available in places for SHEFFIELD UNITED TO WIN is a little too big in the circumstances, looking a solid value selection.
Peterborough's chances aren't exactly boosted by Tuesday's late collapse, despite performing better against Birmingham than in prior matches (xG: BIR 1.35 - 1.62 PET).
Three previous defeats to Blackpool (3-1), Coventry (4-1) and West Brom (3-0) did nothing to suggest that the Posh deserve anything better than their current position in the relegation zone, creating a total of just 1.21 xGF across those games, while allowing a massive 9.21 xGA.
The prospect of a televised game at home might well elicit some improvement from the hosts, but the bare form of these two teams points to a fairly comfortable away win.
A sharp Blades attack should have some joy up against a porous Peterborough defence. And Posh's attacking unit could struggle to test a much-improved backline.
Back Sheffield United to win this one.
Peterborough v Sheffield United best bets and score prediction
- 1.5pts Sheffield United to win at 57/50 (Unibet)
Score prediction: Peterborough 0-2 Sheffield United (Sky Bet odds: 17/2)
Odds correct at 1340 GMT (26/01/22)
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