Will the Blades maintain their lead in the table?

The sixth matchday of the young season will be played in the English lower house this weekend. One match is scheduled for Friday evening, before the remaining 22 teams will all be in action on Saturday afternoon. The opening match of the sixth round will be played north of the capital, with Luton and Sheffield United facing off.

Although money seems to be no object in English football, Luton Town are a bit of an exception. Compared to the competition, the budget is extremely manageable, yet “The Hatters” were able to reach the promotion play-offs in a complete surprise last season.

However, the dream of the Premier League was shattered in the play-off semi-finals. There, too, the Blades had to write off direct promotion. This season, direct promotion is the goal and after five match days, Sheffield are also laughing from the top of the table.

The home side from Luton, on the other hand, have not yet been able to build on last year’s strong performances, but at least celebrated their first win of the 2022/23 season last weekend. Nevertheless, Luton are considered underdogs against Sheffield United according to current betting odds. A bet on the visitors currently attracts odds in the 2.35 range. The match kicks off at Kenilworth Road on Friday evening at 9 p.m.

Luton – Statistics & current form

Fans of the club north of the capital London have had a rollercoaster of a time in recent years. In 2006/07, for example, the club was still in the second division before three relegations in a row followed and the club was suddenly in the fifth division. Luton Town was then at home in the National League until the 2013/14 season.

Closely associated with the upturn in recent years is the name Nathan Jones. He was with the Hatter from January 2016 until January 2019, before leaving the club for Stoke City. He has now been back at the club since May 2020 and has been able to continue the good work. Last season’s sixth-place finish in the table was Luton Town’s best result in the 21st century.

Few changes in the squad

Promotion to the Premier League would have been a huge sensation, ultimately Huddersfield were out of their depth in the play-off semi-finals. Although the underdogs put in strong performances, they managed to keep almost the entire squad. A positive sign, because financially Luton Town play in a completely different league than, for example, the Blades. The Hatter squad has hardly any big-name players, and transfer fees are paid only to a very small extent anyway.

Although head coach Jones can count on a familiar core, the start of the season has been in tatters. In the first two league games, the team managed to win a point before losing to Preston North End and Bristol City. At the fifth attempt they finally managed to win the away match against Swansea in Wales with 2:0. Luton are currently 18th in the table.

The few goals scored this season are striking. After five matchdays, the goal ratio is 3:4, which underlines the betting on the under 2.5 between Luton and Sheffield United. In all five games so far this season, this has been crowned with success. Four times betting that both teams won’t score has been the right call, so this is another good option as we kick off matchday six.

Predicted Luton line-up:
Horvath – Burke, Lockyer, Potts – Bell, Clark, Campbell, Bree – Freeman – Muskwe, Adebayo

Last matches played by Luton:

Championship
20/08/2022 – Swansea 0 – 2 Luton

17/08/2022 – Bristol City 2 – 0 Luton

13/08/2022 – Luton 0 – 1 Preston

Carabao Cup
10/08/2022 – Luton 2 – 3 Newport

Championship
06/08/2022 – Burnley 1 – 1 Luton

Sheffield United – Statistics & current form

Direct promotion was the clear goal for the Blades last season. But even one tier below Sheffield had big problems at the beginning of last season and could not even begin to substantiate these ambitions.

Head coach Slavisa Jokanovic was relieved of his duties already at the end of November and the previous co-coach Paul Heckingbottom (who already led the club on an interim basis at the end of the 2020/21 season) was introduced as the new head coach.

A decision that proved to be the right one. Sheffield United showed significant improvement after the coaching change and gradually fought their way back up the table. Direct promotion was no longer an issue due to the large gap, but Sheffield reached the play-offs in fifth place.

In the play-off semi-finals, Nottingham Forest, who were promoted to the top flight, were too big for Sheffield. The Blades have now played 36 games under Heckingbottom and are scoring a strong 1.75 points per game.

A power at home

Compared to last season, the promotion aspirants have been in good shape from the start this season. Although the first league match against relegated Watford was lost unhappily with 0:1, this should be the only league defeat so far. Ten points were collected from the remaining four games, which means first place in the current table of the English Championship.

The home strength is striking, as Sheffield won all three home games. Away from home, there was the aforementioned defeat against the Hornets and a 2-2 draw against Middlesbrough. However, there should still be no talk of weakness away from home, as both teams are among the top teams in the league. The Hatters certainly don’t have that quality to offer, so a prediction on the Blades is justified for Luton against Sheffield United.

In terms of personnel, Paul Heckingbottom will have to do without striker Oliver McBurnie due to a foot injury. The 26-year-old Scot will most likely be replaced by Iliman Ndiaye, who scored a brace in last week’s emphatic 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers.

Predicted Sheffield United line-up:
Foderingham – Ahmedhozic, Egan, Norrington – Lowe, Norwood, Fleck, Berge, Baldock – Ndiaye, Brewster

Last matches played by Sheffield United:

Championship
20/08/2022 – Sheffield United 3 – 0 Blackburn

18/08/2022 – Sheffield United 2 – 1 Sunderland

14/08/2022 – Middlesboro 2 – 2 Sheffield United

Carabao Cup
12/08/2022 – West Bromwich 1 – 0 Sheffield United

Championship
06/08/2022 – Sheffield United 2 – 0 Millwall

Luton – Sheffield United Direct comparison / H2H record

The past 2021/22 season saw this clash for the first time since the 2005/06 season. At Kenilworth Road, the fans waited in vain for goals and the game ended with a 0-0 draw. Luton were also unable to celebrate away from home, with the Blades deservedly winning 2-0 at the venerable Bramall Lane. Sheffield United have now won 19 of their 44 games against Luton, with Luton having won 15 so far.

Luton – Sheffield betting tips

The second round of the unloved League Cup was on the agenda in England during the week, however these two teams had a game off after being knocked out in the first round. Due to the enormous workload in the Championship, this break is certainly not a disadvantage.

The home side celebrated their first win of the season last weekend, but this does not change the starting position for this clash. Luton are rightly underdogs against Sheffield United according to the current odds.

The Hatters were convincing last year, but failed to score in both games against the Blades. Sheffield United are one of the top contenders for the two direct promotion places and have underpinned that role with their good start to the season. There will always be slip-ups in a 46-game season, but there is still a good chance that betting on the visitors will be profitable between Luton and Sheffield United.