Can Sheffield pick up important points in the fight for promotion?

Tuesday evening will see Reading FC and Sheffield United play a catch-up game in the English second division. While the hosts are between a rock and a hard place, the visitors want to collect important points in the fight for promotion. For this reason, the bookmakers’ betting odds between Reading and Sheffield United go in the direction of an away win.

Reading are surprisingly in fifth place in the home table and could even secure fourth place with a win against Sheffield. At home, the host took 33 points from 16 games and scored 27 goals. That should at least give their own supporters some encouragement.

The form in recent weeks has been mixed, as while the Blue and Whites are unbeaten at home since the beginning of November, the hosts have failed to win away from home for seven matches.

The away record of the visitors is very decent, as Sheffield picked up 28 points from 17 games away from home. This puts “The Blades” in fourth place in the away table. Thus, Paul Heckingbottom’s team will travel to Reading with confidence.

Recently, however, the Red and Whites have been anything but in good form, as Sheffield are in a slight crisis with three defeats from the past four league games. The pressure from the competition has visibly increased. Nevertheless, the bookmakers’ odds between Reading and Sheffield United point quite clearly to a success for the visiting team.

In sum, we can expect a very exciting game, because the underdog is hard to beat in their own stadium. For this reason, we also trust the hosts to score a goal, but we dare to doubt whether it will be enough to win a point.

Sheffield have played a strong season so far and are among the favourites for promotion to the English top flight. Therefore, we recommend the tip “both teams score – yes” between Reading and Sheffield United in combination with an away win for the visiting team.

Reading – Statistics & current form

Reading FC are 15th in the English second division and thus in the rear midfield of the Championship. Paul Ince’s side have managed to pick up 44 points from 34 games. The gap to the first relegation place is currently twelve points and that was not necessarily to be expected after a weak pre-season.

In fact, the Blue and Whites are even closer to sixth place, which would qualify them for the promotion places. All in all, the current season can be seen as positive for the time being and at least a small step in the right direction.

Coach’s son Tom Ince

On 22/02/2022 Paul Ince was appointed interim coach and did such a good job that he was appointed head coach on 16/05/2022. The former Manchester United, Inter Milan and Liverpool FC player was particularly pleased with a new signing in the summer.

His son Tom Ince moved to Reading from Stoke City on a free transfer before this season. The transfer was not without controversy, as father and son in the same team are a real rarity, especially at the professional level. With nine goals and five assists, the right-winger is now Reading FC’s top scorer and, as a result, the criticism has quickly died down.

Breakthrough of a home-grown talent

Tom Holmes was born in Reading in 2000 and started his career with Reading FC back in 2008. Apart from a season on loan in Belgium, he has always played in the blue and white jersey and is therefore the epitome of a homegrown player.

He has been an undisputed regular for three years now, despite being only 22 years old. The English centre-back has increased his market value from 800 thousand euros to 4.50 million euros within one year. A move to a bigger club would be conceivable, but his love for the club speaks against it at the moment.

The weakest defence in the Championship

Together with Wigan Athletic, Reading FC have the weakest defence in the English second division. Paul Ince’s team concedes an average of 1.55 goals per game and thus stands at 53 goals conceded in 34 games.

In terms of attack, the hosts are 18th in the league and with 38 goals in 34 games, Reading are at least capable of creating chances against any opponent in the league.

Last games of Reading:

Championship
04/03/2023 – Middlesboro 5 – 0 Reading

25/02/2023 – Reading 3 – 1 Blackpool

18/02/2023 – Cardiff 1 – 0 Reading

15/02/2023 – Reading 2 – 1 Rotherham

11/02/2023 – Sunderland 1 – 0 Reading

Sheffield United – Statistics & current form

Sheffield are in second place in the Championship, making them one of the favourites for promotion. Paul Heckingbottom’s side have picked up 64 points from 34 games to move four points clear of third.

However, with the visitors still having a game in hand, their lead could increase to seven points with a win at Reading. Last season, “The Blades” narrowly failed to reach the semi-finals of the promotion play-offs. The Red and Whites only lost on penalties to their opponents Nottingham Forest, who eventually secured their return to the top flight.

One for the Premier League?

Iliman Ndiaye is Sheffield United’s top scorer with eleven goals and eight assists. The 23-year-old striker made his debut for the Senegalese national team last summer due to his great performances and even went to the World Cup. He has played in every game for the Blades this season and is now a key player.

His market value has risen from 2.5 million euros to seven million euros. It is therefore no wonder that the first club from the Premier League has already announced its interest. Everton FC are said to have made an enquiry in the winter, but Ndiaye would like to play with Sheffield in the Premier League.

Most valuable player in squad

Sander Berge moved to Sheffield for €23 million from KRC Genk in the 2019/2020 season. At 6’5″, the Norwegian is ideally built for English football, making him an important part of Paul Heckingbottom’s squad.

The six-pointer scored six goals and set up three others in the current season. Fulham FC came knocking in the winter, but with an exit clause of 40.7 million euros, a transfer was not feasible. His contract expires in the summer of 2024 and then one or the other bigger club could become active.

The third best offence in the league

Sheffield scored 55 goals in the Championship this season, making them one of the best offences in the league. Burnley FC and Middlesbrough FC are the only two teams that have put the ball in the opponent’s goal more often.

This is primarily due to the breadth of the squad, as the Blades have already produced a total of 17 different goal scorers. Oliver McBurnie, Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge deserve special mention. The trio have a total of 37 goal contributions and that’s just in the league.

Last matches played by Sheffield United:

Championship
04/03/2023 – Blackburn 1 – 0 Sheffield United

FA Cup
02/03/2023 – Sheffield United 1 – 0 Tottenham

Championship
25/02/2023 – Sheffield United 1 – 0 Watford

18/02/2023 – Millwall 3 – 2 Sheffield United

16/02/2023 – Sheffield United 1 – 3 Middlesboro

Reading – Sheffield United Direct comparison / H2H balance

The head-to-head comparison just barely goes to the visitors, as Sheffield have won 18 games, while Reading are on 15 wins. The last duel went with 4:0 clearly to “The Blades” and therefore the host still has a score to settle. Especially in their own stadium, the Blue and Whites are capable of a surprise and therefore we are moving away from a win bet for our main tip. Our prediction between Reading and Sheffield United therefore goes in the direction of a goal bet.

Reading – Sheffield United bet

We play the tip “both teams score – yes” between Reading and Sheffield United. The hosts are incredibly strong at home and scored 27 goals in 16 games at their own stadium. It would therefore not be surprising if the clear outsiders score at least one goal. On the other hand, the visitors are strong enough to crack the weakest defence in the league. The away record of the visiting team is also positive and on top of that “The Blades” provide one of the best offences in the Championship.

Alternatively, we still take the odds for an away win between Reading and Sheffield United. The quality of the visitors is clearly higher than that of the hosts. Reading FC have enormous problems defensively and face one of the best offensives in the league. Therefore, we can well imagine a win for the visiting team.