Football Bet of the Day: Blades can keep home record intact

Boxing Day. Turkey sandwiches, gammon, and most importantly, football. A lot of it. The festive season reaches its peak for me on December 26, with the stress of Christmas Day done and dusted, and a wealth of football to look forward to. Below I’ve tried to pick out some value from all the action on offer by putting forward my Football Bet of the Day. 

We’ve got a Christmas cracker at the top of the Championship coming our way as two of the big guns go head-to-head at Bramall Lane. Both Sheffield United and Burnley put in tepid displays in the Premier League last season as they were relegated without a fight, but such is the financial disparity between the two divisions, they are now big fishes in a small pond. 

Blades currently sit top of the table and have been so impressive this term, with Premier League quality littered throughout their squad. Chris Wilder has shaken off a potential hangover from that dismal season and now with the likes of Kieffer Moore, Gustavo Hamer, Callum O’Hare and Michael Cooper, they have some of the finest players in the league. 

Having won 15 of their 22 matches so far, this Boxing Day fixture marks the halfway point of the season for the Blades. They currently boast a three point over Leeds at the top of the table, which is incredibly impressive when you remember they started the season on -2 points. 

Burnley are also in the mix under Scott Parker, and are up to third, having only lost two games this term. Like their hosts, they have built their success on a strong defence, and the Clarets have only conceded nine goals in 21 games. James Trafford, Maxime Esteve and CJ Egan-Riley have all been superb this term, and they’ve provided a platform on which Burnley have built a promotion charge. 

Sheffield United vs Burnley Odds

There’s a lot to like about this Burnley outfit, but I’ve still got my question marks around their push for an automatic promotion place. Parker is slowly proving me wrong, but I’d rather be in the Leeds squad or the Sheffield United one as we head into the Christmas period. This Boxing Day fixture will be a massive for both clubs, and I think we are likely to see a tight encounter, with under 2.5 goals. 

United have won nine and drawn one of their 10 home games so far and that form has helped take them to the summit. During those matches, they’ve remarkably only conceded two goals at Bramall Lane, and that brings me to our Football Bet of the Day for Thursday, December 26. These are the best two defences at Championship level, having conceded only 20 goals between them in 44 matches in total. 

This is going to be a tight and cagey affair, despite the attacking quality on show, but I will lean towards the home side to nick this one. If I was backing a correct score I’d got for a 1-0 or 2-0 win to the Blades, so our Football Bet of the Day for Boxing Day is Sheffield United to win to nil at 13/5.