Oxford vs Sheffield United Prediction: Blades to strike down the U’s

Thanks to a dip in form from Leeds United, Sheffield United have been thrust into the driving seat for automatic promotion from the Championship. The Blades are two points clear at the top of the table and they make the trip to the Kassam Stadium to face Oxford United on Saturday (15:00).

The visitors are five games unbeaten coming into this clash and they are up against a team who have just one win in 11 league matches. Read on for my Oxford vs Sheffield United predictions, aided by the latest team news and match odds.

Football Odds

Team News

Max Woltman remains a long-term absentee for Oxford United, having not featured all season, while there are doubts surrounding the involvements of defenders Greg Leigh, Joe Bennett and Elliott Moore.

Winger Matt Phillips will need to be closely monitored ahead of Saturday, having been forced off with an issue in last weekend's defeat to Middlesbrough. Boss Gary Rowett is hoping he can have Cameron Brannagan and Idris El Mizouni back available to face the Blades, with the duo missing the Boro clash due to injury and illness respectively.

Brannagan would likely go straight back into the midfield to partner Will Vaulks. Mark Harris should lead the line for the U's, while Siriki Dembele and Przemyslaw Placheta are expected to continue to operate on the flanks.

Sheffield United are without midfielder Ollie Arblaster who suffered a serious knee injury against Sheffield Wednesday in November, and it's unlikely we will see him before the end of the campaign.

Rhys Norrington-Davies is another who will not feature again in 2024/25 as the result of a groin issue he picked up whilst playing for the Under-21s. The defender has since undergone surgery. Tom Davies will miss the trip to Oxfordshire due to fitness issues that have affected his entire season.

Ipswich Town loanee Harry Clarke is back with his parent club for treatment on a foot injury he sustained in the defeat to Leeds in February. It is hoped that he can make a comeback in the next week or two.

Jamie Shackleton is thought to be nearing a return from a four-month absence, but boss Chris Wilder is likely to let the defender build up his fitness first. Vini Souza will need to be assessed ahead of the weekend following a three-game spell out because of a hamstring problem.

Oxford vs Sheffield United Odds

Oxford are 7/2 to come away with the victory here, which is likely down to their poor form as well as the calibre of their opponents. One win in four games at home has the bookies favouring the Blades on Saturday.

The visitors are 5/6 to collect the three points, having won 12 of their 19 away trips to date in the Championship. Eight of those triumphs saw the Blades keep a clean sheet in the process, so you will find better value in backing them to win to nil at 9/5, which carries an implied probability of 35.7%.

Both teams to score - No and a Sheffield United clean sheet are also alluring markets at 4/5 and 6/5 respectively. The draw is available at 5/2 on Saturday.

Sheffield United to win to nil @ 9/5

Sheffield United may not have been as proficient as Leeds when it comes to attacking, with the Blades scoring 56 goals to their rivals' 78 in the second tier, but they haven't needed to be.

They've been focused on themselves and this has put them in a great position in the final month of the campaign. Wilder's men are two points clear at the top of the table, and this largely been helped by their defensive resilience.

The Blades have recorded 20 clean sheets in 39 games this term, nine of which have come on their travels. Sheffield United were victorious in eight of those fixtures, which further highlights how well they have performed away from home.

I think they are worth backing to win to nil here because Oxford's form is a concern, while the reverse fixture saw the Blades post a 3-0 win at Bramall Lane back in November.

Under 2.5 goals @ 8/11

Despite their league position, we have rarely seen Sheffield United blow teams away and their defensive structure allows them to mostly control games once they get in front.

For my second selection I have gone for under 2.5 goals, which has been a winning selection in 12 of the Blades' 19 away contests in the Championship this term, and I think this trend is worth backing to continue against an out-of-form Oxford team.

There have also been fewer than three goals scored in two of Oxford's previous four home clashes in the league.

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