Sheff Utd vs Brighton Prediction: Seagulls too strong for Blades

Two Premier League sides who are yet to taste defeat in 2024 will go head-to-head on Saturday afternoon (15:00), as Sheffield United host Brighton & Hove Albion at Bramall Lane in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

The Blades enjoyed a 4-0 thrashing of Gillingham in the previous round, while Brighton ran out 4-2 winners away at Championship side Stoke City.

Team News

Rhian Brewster begins his three-game suspension this weekend after being sent off against West Ham United last time out, while Chris Basham remains unavailable for the foreseeable future due to an ankle problem.

Yasser Larouci and Anis Ben Slimane will be returning imminently from the Africa Cup of Nations duties after Algeria and Tunisia both finished bottom of their respective groups, but this game is expected to come too soon for the pair.

As for Brighton, Solly March and Joel Veltman both remain absent due to knee injuries, and they will be joined in the treatment room by Julio Enciso, Kaoru Mitoma and Ansu Fati.

Match Odds

Due to this being a cup tie, 90-minute betting will apply.

Sheffield United are 4/1 to book their place in the next round, the draw is 10/3 and Brighton are 3/5.

Both teams to score can be backed at 8/11, while Evan Ferguson and Joao Pedro are joint-favourites to score anytime at 13/10.

Brighton to win and both teams to score (90 minutes) @ 21/10

My thinking when looking at this game is that Sheffield United's primary focus will be to avoid relegation from the Premier League, therefore the Blades may turn a blind eye when it comes to this match.

It could be seen as a potential distraction for Chris Wilder and his side, and on the contrary, Brighton may be licking their lips at a potential cup run, as a few big guns have already been eliminated from the competition and there are some big all-Premier League ties in this round.

The Seagulls have only lost once in their last nine outings across all competitions - away at Arsenal - and Sheffield United have tasted defeats in three of their last four matches at Bramall Lane but managed to score in four of their last five.

The two sides played out a 1-1 draw in the league at the Amex earlier in the season, but Brighton played the final 20 minutes with 10 men and they were still arguably unlucky not to win. Roberto De Zerbi has a stronger squad at his disposal, and the Seagulls will have too much firepower for the Blades.

Joao Pedro to score anytime (90 minutes) @ 13/10

Joao Pedro is enjoying a respectable campaign for the Seagulls, and he offers terrific odds-against value here.

The Brazilian scored twice in the 4-2 victory over Stoke City in the previous round of the FA Cup, taking his tally to 15 for the season.

The former Watford man has shown that he can be deployed in a variety of attacking positions for Brighton this term and, providing De Zerbi doesn't rest him at the weekend, he looks decent value for an anytime scorer bet.

Check out the rest if our Football Betting Tips here.