Football Bet of the Day: Can Blades complete perfect week?

Friday’s football has caught my attention and because I’m writing this article, obviously I’m going to focus on the most enthralling league in world football - the Championship. 

Preston North End host Sheffield United on Friday night (20:00 BST, Sky Sports Football), and I think there’s decent value to be had in the match result market. 

I’m jumping on board the Chris Wilder revolution at Sheffield United. The Blades were truly abysmal under Ruben Selles and acted quickly to rectify the situation after just five league games. They’d lost all five and were therefore bottom of the league, and Wilder came into a more difficult situation than he was expecting. 

The Blades lost three of his first four matches in charge but since then, Wilder has overseen back-to-back wins and is now targeting a perfect three-game week. The 1-0 win over Watford saw the hosts only manage 40% possession but Wilder has transformed them into a more effective side without the ball, and they had the better chances in that game.

Preston vs Sheffield United Odds

They then went to Blackburn Rovers in midweek and secured a 3-1 victory as they came from a goal down to win that game. We all know that this Sheffield United squad is more than good enough to compete in the top six this season - they got 92 points on the pitch last term under Wilder let’s not forget - and although a few key players have left they should cruise away from relegation danger. 

Tyrese Campbell, Callum O’Hare, Harrison Burrows and Gustavo Hamer all remain at the club while Louie Barry, Japhet Tanganga and Ben Mee are all solid additions. This squad should be able to beat most teams in this division now they have their confidence back and that brings me to Friday night’s selection.

Football Odds

They travel to Preston to take one of their former bosses, Paul Heckingbottom. PNE had a strong start to the season but now sit 11th after two defeats on the bounce - to West Brom and Birmingham City. The results have been positive on the whole but I am slightly concerned by the underlying numbers.

They have created an average of 1.30xG per 90, which ranks them 20th in the division, while their xGD (the difference between chances created and conceded) ranks them 15th. I don’t think they are genuine top-half contenders this season based on their budget and squad, and can see them sliding down the table. 

Today's Football Fixtures

I had them down as relegation candidates before a ball was kicked, and I do think they will survive now - but Sheffield United should be too strong for them on paper, and adding the 0-1 handicap to the away win gives us a big price. 

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