Fulham Vs Sheffield United
Fulham Vs Sheffield United Saturday 20th February 2021 – 20:00 (Sky Sports)
English Premier League
Pick: Under 2.5 Goals
Odds: 3/5
Bookmaker: Betway
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 17th February 2021)
Preview: If either of these two sides harbour any realistic hope of staying up this season, three points from Saturday’s relegation battle at Craven Cottage, between 18th-placed Fulham and a Sheffield United side cut well adrift at the bottom, are imperative.
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Table of Contents
Fulham – Parker’s men inching towards safety?
There were just 224 seconds between Ola Aina’s fortuitous goal finding the back of net for Fulham (W3 D10 L11) via a calamitous deflection and Burnley’s leveller at Turf Moor on Wednesday, as the two relegation rivals fought gamely in a competitive 1-1 draw. For Scott Parker, it was a bitterly disappointing response to last week’s terrific performance and result away to Everton, when earning a 2-0 victory.
Fulham have now gone six consecutive away Premier League games without losing (W1 D5), equalling their longest such run in the competition last set in 2004. They were also held to their tenth draw last time out, a figure bettered only by Brighton (11) in the top-flight, with eight of those coming across their previous thirteen fixtures. Clearly there is a resilience about this team that wasn’t readily apparent early on.
In their current predicament, with 17th-placed Newcastle six points better off, the odd point here and there isn’t going to suffice. Saturday’s meeting with the side currently bottom is therefore an excellent opportunity to chalk up onlya third league win of the season, what would be just their second at home (W1 D4 L7) having collected one point from the last four encounters at Craven Cottage.
Sheffield United – Blades too blunt on their travels?
No side in this season’s Premier League has scored fewer goals (15 in 24 games) or failed to find the back of the net in more games (12, level with Burnley) than Sheffield United (W3 D2 L19). Both figures were made worse when falling to their 19th league defeat of the season last time, going down 3-0 at the London Stadium against high-flying West Ham in what was their third three-goal margin of defeat in 2020-21.
For context, the Blades were beaten by three clear goals as a newly-promoted outfit on just two occasions in the whole of 2019-20. They still have fourteen fixtures left of this season to negotiate, requiring a miracle if they are to make up the 14-point gulf standing between them and top-flight safety. This despite a brief renaissance of late, recording six wins from their past ten encounters in the league and FA Cup.
Half of those recent successes came against lower league opposition in the FA Cup. In the league, despite a return upturn by their miserly standards, Chris Wilder’s relegation-doomed side have still managed to bank only nine of the last 21 points (W3 L4). Meanwhile, their record away from home (W1 D1 L10) is easily the worst in the division, with their only victory on the road coming at Old Trafford last month.
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Fulham Vs Sheffield United Betting Advice
There are positive to be had about both these sides. This despite the pair occupying two of the Premier League’s bottom three positions. The outlook is a lot more positive from a Fulham perspective, though. Scott Parker’s side have closed to within six points of safety following a run of three defeats in thirteen in the league (W1 D9 L3), and have drastically improved defensively as the season has gone on.
Fulham Vs Sheffield United – Key Facts:
- No team has scored fewer goals in Premier League home games this season than Fulham (7 in 12 games), while Sheffield United have netted the fewest away (6 in 12).
- Only Burnley have failed to score in as many league games in 2020-21 than Sheffield United (12). Fulham boast a solitary goal across their last six top-flight home games.
- This season’s meeting at Bramall Lane ended 1-1 after two late strikes for either side. It means Sheffield United are without a win in six competitive meetings (D3 L3).
Sheffield United have also shown a vast improvement recently. The Blades recording six wins across their last ten matches in league and cup, but are still in deep trouble at the foot of the table. Moreover, Chris Wilder’s men have slumped to ten defeats in twelve away outings so far, even losing at fellow strugglers Burnley and West Brom. Goals could be scarce, too, with these the lowest scorers in home and away fixtures this season, respectively.
Best Betting Odds – Fulham Vs Sheffield United
Fulham – 23/20 (Betway)
Draw – 11/5 (PaddyPower)
Sheffield United – 27/10 (BetVictor)
