Are the Blades closing the gap on the play-off places?
Sheffield United are back in the promotion race! The Blades made a promising start to the second half of the season and still have a chance of promotion to the top flight. After 26 matchdays, Sheffield United are currently on 39 points, six points behind sixth-placed West Bromwich.
Because the Blades still have two games to play, the gap to the promotion rivals WBA can be minimised by their own efforts. Friday night Sheffield United host league rivals Birmingham. Unlike the promotion-chasing Blades, Birmingham City’s primary aim this season is to stay in the division.
Since the crushing defeat to leaders Fulham, Birmingham have not lost any of their last three games in the Championship. Nonetheless, the run has been far from commendable, with the Blues, after all, missing out on wins in six-point games against relegation rivals Derby and Peterborough.
Against Derby, the Blues even squandered a two-goal lead. Birmingham’s current streak is therefore more appearance than reality. It is quite possible that the 13th league defeat of the season will follow at home against the Blades from Sheffield.
Birmingham – Statistics & current form
Internally, things are going wrong for the Blues from Birmingham at the moment – the club management clearly felt that recently. The supporters turned against club boss Zhao & Co., which is not at all surprising in view of the lack of investment in the squad and the stadium. In sporting terms, there has been no success this season.
For long stretches of the current season, Birmingham City have bumbled around in the lower third of the table. The Blues will probably be in a relegation battle until the end of the season, so despite their recent points cushion, staying in the league remains the primary goal of the traditional club from the West Midlands.
After 29 matchdays, Birmingham currently have a record of 8-9-12 and a goal difference of 32:44. Statistically, the Blues have one of the weakest defences in the second-tier Championship. Only four other teams have conceded more goals in the league than the Birmingham Blues.
Do the Blues make the most of home advantage?
At home, the Blues have already conceded five defeats in their 14 home games this season. The only encouraging thing at St Andrew’s is the Blues’ recent form. In the Championship, there has been only one defeat for Birmingham City in their last five home games. However, four of the five home games were against relegation rivals for head coach Bowyer’s side.
With regard to the match against Sheffield United, the record should therefore not be overestimated. However, bettors who would still like to back the home side in the Birmingham vs. Sheffield United match can pick up betting odds above the 3.00 mark if they are successful.
One of the few arguments to back a home win is Birmingham’s home record against Sheffield United. Indeed, the Blues have lost only one of their last nine home games. Most recently, Birmingham even went unbeaten against the Blades five times in a row – will it stay that way?
Predicted Birmingham line-up:
Etheridge; Colin, Mengi, Roberts, Pedersen; Bacuna, Woods, Gardner; Hernandez; Taylor, Hogan
Last Birmingham matches:
Championship
01/30 2022 – Derby 2 – 2 Birmingham
01/25 2022 – Birmingham 2 – 2 Peterboro
01/22 2022 – Birmingham 2 – 1 Barnsley
01/18 2022 – Fulham 6 – 2 Birmingham
01/15 2022 – Preston 1 – 1 Birmingham
Sheffield United – Statistics & current form
Sheffield United are on course for a place in the promotion play-offs. A few matchdays after the start of the second half of the season, the Blades have closed the gap on the sixth-placed team in the Championship. With two games left to play, Sheffield can even draw level on points with WBA (6th).
The Blades recently built confidence with a home win over Luton (2-0) and an away win at Peterborough (2-0). For the first time this calendar year, Sheffield United are now aiming for a third successive win in a competitive match. The recent away record in the Championship is particularly encouraging.
In the last six away games at league level, Sheffield United have suffered only one defeat. That away defeat came at the hands of Rooney’s Derby County. It was also the only league game this calendar year in which Sheffield United failed to score.
Does the defensive bulwark hold against the Blues?
One of the factors in the success of Sheffield United is nevertheless the defensive bulwark. Peterborough and Luton have already experienced how strong the Blades’ defence is. Sheffield kept their clean sheet against both teams. It’s quite possible that the winning streak will continue against Birmingham.
In the first half of the season Sheffield conceded a surprising defeat against the Blues. The Blades dominated the match against Birmingham over 90 minutes. However, Sheffield remained far too harmless on the offensive. For the first time since April 2018, Sheffield lost a must-win match against Birmingham City.
Unlike Friday’s opponents, the Blades have a number of absentees for the second-round match. In addition to McBurnie and O’Connell, who have to rest due to injury, the yellow-banned Norwood is also missing. Compared to the recent starting eleven, Sheffield are expected to make only minimal changes.
Predicted Sheffield United line-up:
Foderingham; Basham, Egan, Robinson; Bogle, Norwood, Hourihane, Norrington-Davies; Ndiaye; Brewster, Sharp
Last matches played by Sheffield United:
Championship
01/29 2022 – Peterboro 0 – 2 Sheffield United
01/22 2022 – Sheffield United 2 – 0 Luton
01/18 2022 – Preston 2 – 2 Sheffield United
01/15 2022 – Derby 2 – 0 Sheffield United
FA Cup
01/09 2022 – Wolverhampton 3 – 0 Sheffield United
Birmingham – Sheffield United Direct comparison / H2H record
These two clubs are meeting for the 14th time in the Championship. The Blues from Birmingham lead the direct comparison against Sheffield United with a record of 6-3-4. One of Birmingham’s six wins came in the first leg of the current season, where the Blues surprisingly scored three at Sheffield.
Prior to that, there were two consecutive points draws between Birmingham vs. Sheffield United. If a prediction on a draw on Friday night pays off, betting odds in the region of the 3.00 mark will be paid out.
Birmingham – Sheffield United betting tips
Birmingham are in need of every point in their fight to stay in the league. Recently, the matches against direct relegation rivals like Barnsley, Peterborough and Derby resulted in a total of seven points. Only against Barnsley did the Blues manage a win, but against Peterborough and Derby they only got one point each.
The result against Derby County was a bitter setback. After all, Birmingham had squandered a win in the closing stages. It would therefore be all the more surprising if a win beckons on Friday evening at home against the in-form visitors from Sheffield. We tend to see the visitors in the lead.
Sheffield United have reduced the gap to the starting positions for the promotion play-offs in recent weeks. In their current form, it is obvious that the Blades will also master the match in Birmingham. The defensive bulwark of Sheffield, which did not concede a goal twice in a row, speaks in favour of that.
