West Brom vs Sheffield United Prediction: Another draw for WBA?

Sheffield United will be looking to stay at the top of the table by the time the weekend comes to a close, as they travel south to face West Brom at 15:00 on Sunday afternoon. This test will be shown live on Sky Sports+, as the Baggies look to end a remarkable run of draws. 

Carlos Corberan’s side have now drawn nine of their last ten league matches, a run that has seen them drop out of the top six. They’ve only been beaten twice this season, the same number of games that the Blades have lost, but those draws mean there is now a 10-point gap between the two teams. Below you can find my West Brom vs Sheffield United predictions, featuring team news and betting tips. 

Team News

Ousmane Diakite is out for West Brom and has been since he pulled out of the game v Sunderland during the warm-up. Paddy McNair is also sidelined and his loan spell comes to an end in January, so he may not see much action before then. 

Semi Ajayi and Daryl Dike also remained sidelined while Grady Diangana is out with a calf issue that has kept him out since mid-November. Karlan Grant could partner Josh Maja once again as West Brom search for more attacking thrust while the back three should remain unchanged.

Torbjorn Heggem, Mason Holgate and Kyle Bartley are currently the centre-back options and all three could start against this quality Sheffield United squad. Mikey Johnston, Jed Wallace and John Swift all started on the bench last time out but could provide more attacking thrust for Corberan. 

For the Blades, Anel Ahmedhodzic remains suspended having been shown a straight red card against Coventry City and his fellow centre-back Harry Souttar is also suspended after being sent off v Sunderland last time out. It means Chris Wilder has to create a new centre-back partnership which will surely include Jack Robinson, while Alfie Gilchrist is the most likely candidate to play next to him. 

That opens up a spot at right-back for Jamie Shackleton or the more adventurous Femi Seriki, who has impressed off the bench lately. Oliver Arblaster remains sidelined with his ACL injury while Kieffer Moore and Rhian Brewster are both still being carefully monitored, so Tyrese Campbell is likely to lead the line again. 

West Brom vs Sheffield United Odds

West Brom are 11/8 to win this game, giving them an implied win probability of 42% while the away side, having won six of their last seven, can be backed at 13/8. If you fancy the draw specialists to draw again, that is priced at 21/10.

Over 2.5 goals is 6/5, but Sheffield United have only seen that come in during 22% of their games so far, a figure which is the second-lowest in the league. BTTS is 10/11 and Maja is the favourite to score first at 5/1, having scored 10 goals in 18 this term.

Under 2.5 goals @ 8/13

Sheffield United have an astonishing defence and although they have two key injuries at the back, I still can’t see this being an open encounter. The Blades have seen over 2.5 goals in just 22 percent of their league games and Wilder likes to prioritise a solid defence as his side have conceded just nine goals in 18 matches. 

Meanwhile, West Brom have seen over 2.5 goals in six of their 18 matches, giving them a 33 per cent success rate. Given their run of drawing games and the fact that three of their last six games have ended 0-0, I think we are being sensible in backing under 2.5 goals as our first selection. 

Draw @ 21/10 

A surprise pick? No. A sensible one? I think so. West Brom’s run of draws is no coincidence. Nine draws out of 10 has taken their total draws this season to 10, the highest total in the division - unsurprisingly. Corberan has always been known as a defensive manager and I think they will find it difficult to break down this Sheffield United side once again.

I was going to back the table-toppers to win the game without conceding but the fact they are without Ahmedhodzic and Souttar leaves me slightly unsure. I don’t think they will lose though, so am more than happy to get on board with another draw. I think it will be a result the Blades and the Baggies will both be fairly happy with. 

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