Football Bet of the Day: 1-1 on the cards at the Hawthorns?

It’s been a stormy weekend in the United Kingdom, with several matches, including the Merseyside Derby, falling foul of the weather. For our Football Bet of the Day on Sunday, December 8 then, we are heading to the highest football ground in the UK, as the Hawthorns plays host to West Brom vs Sheffield United - with kick-off at 15:00.

Read on for my Football Bet of the Day. 

This game will be shown live on Sky Sports as Sheffield United look to assert themselves as the best team in the second tier. Chris Wilder’s men have done exceptionally well so far, and led the way heading into this weekend’s fixtures despite having two points deducted at the start of the campaign. 

But a trip to the Midlands is never easy, especially when Carlos Corberan is standing in the opposition’s dugout. He is arguably the best tactical manager in the Championship and has recently been linked with what would be an earth-shattering move to WBA’s fiercest rivals Wolves, with Gary O’Neil under pressure. 

For now though, he remains at West Brom, a side who are currently unbeaten in their last 10 matches. That sounds impressive, but when you consider that nine of those have been draws, you can understand why the Baggies have slipped out of the play-off picture. It’s been a quite staggering run, only broken by the 2-1 success they had against Hull a couple of weeks ago. 

It brings us nicely to our selection for Sunday. West Brom have an incredibly competitive squad for this level, and with Corberan at the helm, they are rarely taken apart in the Championship. They’ve only lost two games all season, the same number as Sheffield United, but sit 10 points behind them because of the number of draws they have amassed. 

Both of their league defeats, one to Sheffield Wednesday and one to Middlesbrough, have come by one league goal, which further backs up my point about them being competitive in every single match they play. Whether they win or lose, there isn’t a lot in it, so you can see why they draw so many matches. 

Sheffield United pose a tough test, but I can see this being another draw. However, I’ll push things further by backing a 1-1 correct score at the price of 5/1. I don’t see either side keeping a clean sheet with the attacking quality on show. Josh Maja has scored 10 goals in 18 league matches so far this season and the home side have found the net in three of their last four outings.

A key point to this selection is the fact that the Blades are going to be without Anel Ahmedhodzic and Harry Souttar - both first-choice centre-backs - through suspension. Ahmedhodzic was sent off against Coventry while Souttar saw red against Sunderland last time out, which makes me think the Blades won’t be as solid as they usually are.

However, their attacking quality is frightening with Callum O’Hare, Tyrese Campbell, Gustavo Hamer and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi all top class Championship players. I think they will be able to conjur up a goal at the Hawthorns, but can’t see past a 1-1 draw. Both teams would probably settle for a point at this stage of the season, and in blustery conditions, I can’t see one team dominating this fixture. 

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down.

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.