Coventry City vs Sheffield United Prediction: Former stars to haunt Cov

Coventry City are looking increasingly likely to appoint Frank Lampard as Mark Robins’ successor at the time of writing, but Rhys Carr will take charge of the game against Sheffield United on Saturday lunchtime (12:30, Sky Sports Main Event). 

The Blades are in flying form as the derby victory over Sheffield Wednesday saw them head into the international break in second place. They will go top with a win if Sunderland drop points, in a game that also sees the return of Callum O’Hare and Gustavo Hamer to the CBS Arena. Below you will find my Coventry City vs Sheffield United prediction with team news and betting tips. 

Team News

Carr was frugal with his team news at Coventry’s pre-match press conference, saying his side had “one or two injuries” without specifying who was in trouble. Haji Wright is surely one who will miss out having badly twisted his ankle in the 2-2 draw with Sunderland. He had to be stretchered off and couldn’t put weight on it, so I’d expect him to miss a decent chunk of matches.

Meanwhile, Jake Bidwell and Raphael Borges Rodrigues are getting closer to returns, with the Australian making his first appearance for the U21s in midweek. Ben Sheaf and Ellis Simms missed the draw with Sunderland with minor issues and could return to start this one, while Oliver Dovin could come back in goal to replace Brad Collins, having suffered concussion in training before the break. 

I’d expect Sheaf to return to the midfield to partner Josh Eccles, while Jack Rudoni should start in the number 10 role. Ephron Mason-Clark should be given a run on the left wing in the absence of Wright, with Tatsuhiro Sakamoto likely to play on the right. 

For Sheffield United, the big blow for them comes as Oliver Arblaster has been ruled out for a significant period of time by Chris Wilder after undergoing surgery on his ruptured ACL. Sydie Peck could replace him in the middle of the park, or Hamer could be brought into the centre of midfield from his wide left position. Kieffer Moore and Rhian Brewster are both doubts for the trip to Coventry, so Tyrese Campbell looks set to continue up top, supported by O’Hare.

Rhys Norrington-Davies and Jamie Shackleton are both set to miss out but Tom Davies looks to have recovered from his issue to be back in contention, and he could play an important role in Arblaster’s absence.

Coventry City vs Sheffield United Odds

Coventry are priced at 8/5 to win this game, with Sheffield United available at 7/4. The away side have an implied win probability of 36%, while a draw can be backed at 23/10 and over 2.5 goals is 1/1. BTTS can be backed at 8/11 and Simms is the favourite to score first at 5/1.

Sheffield United to win @ 7/4

Quite a simple one, even for a Coventry fan like myself to predict. The Sky Blues are in a strange period of waiting right now, and the international break is unlikely to have helped things. They have some talent in this side but without Wright, are likely to come up short against the Blades. 

Sheff Utd have now won their last four games, and only conceded one goal in that entire time. Since defeats to Leeds United and Middlesbrough, they’ve bounced back in style to take themselves into the top two and now they will strive to stay there over the winter period. They should have enough to win on Saturday.

Bet Builder - Sheff Utd to win and O’Hare and Hamer to score @ 28/1

It always seems to be the way when former players return, they do so in a haunting manner. O’Hare enjoyed four special seasons at Cov, helping them win promotion from League 1 and playing in that FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United. Hamer meanwhile is still loved by the Sky Blues, having almost dragged them to the Premier League alongside Victor Gyokeres. 

The winning goal in the play-off semi-final, and the equaliser in the final meant when he left for Sheffield United it was gutting. However, now he returns for the first time and given the talent and the personality of both players, I wouldn’t be surprised if both find the net. It’s a big price for them to do so in an away win. 

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