Sheffield United and Watford will face each other in the EFL Championship this weekend. Both teams are sitting in the top ten and fighting for promotion. These two teams met on the opening weekend of the season. Watford earned a narrow 1-0 victory in that match. Things have changed a lot since then, and Sheffield United will look to take revenge in this match.
The Blades have won 18, drawn seven, and lost seven matches this season. They have scored 54 goals and average 1.6 xG per match. Their defence has leaked 30 goals in the campaign. Sheffield United have struggled a bit in their last two games and failed to collect any point. They will be desperate to add their 19th win to the points tally.
The Hornets, on the other hand, have won 13, drawn 11, and lost nine matches this season. They have scored 41 goals and conceded 37. The xG rate for the team stands at 1.4 per match. Watford are unbeaten in their last four matches and have collected six points. They are eyeing back-to-back wins in this match.
The above viz compares the percentile rank of both teams in comparison to each other and the other teams in the league. It can be observed that Sheffield United have shown more domination than the Hornets. They are ranked very high in the attacking department. One of the interesting things about the Blades is that they don’t keep hold of the possession. They are direct in their approach towards scoring goals. Watford have struggled a bit and have a relatively low percentile rank compared to their position in the league standings. They will look to give a better performance in this match.
Sheffield United’s xG domination
Sheffield United have the highest xG rate in the league. They create 32.56 positional attacks and 1.44 counterattacks. On average, 12.97 shots have been attempted with a 41.7% accuracy rate.
The Hornets create 26.94 positional attacks and 1.76 counterattacks per match. They attempt 10.18 shots and have a 36.9% accuracy rate.
Sheffield United players get into good scoring positions and are dominant in the attack. Watford’s defence will have a tough time in this match.
Key Players
Oliver McBurnie finally returned to the scoring chart after a drought of five matches. He netted a goal against Swansea City after coming off the bench. The other goal came against Middlesbrough, but that was a consolation goal. He has scored 11 goals this season and is Sheffield United’s top goalscorer. The 26-year-old has a huge responsibility in his own hands.
Ken Sema scored a brace in Watford’s win over West Brom. He has taken his tally to four goals. Along with this, he has been the main creative force. The player has seven assists to his name this season. The wide player is on corner duties as well. Of his seven assists, six came from corners delivered by him. The 29-year-old will look to create an impact in the match.
Team news
Sheffield United have a few injury concerns. George Baldock, Billy Sharp, Rhian Brewster, Ends Stevens and Rhys Norrington-Davies are all out injured.
Watford are also without some players. Craig Cathcart, Edo Kayembe, Francisco Suerralta, Dan Gosling, and Tom Dele-Bashiru are injured.
Betting analysis
Sheffield United are the favourites to win this match. As per the 1×2 betting odds, their chances of winning stand at an odds rate of 1.81. Watford have an odds rate of around 4.2. This is expected to be a tight and low-scoring match. However, both teams can find the back of the net. The odds for over 2.5 goals are around 2.08. There are chances that more than two goals are scored in this match.
Sheffield United have performed better than league leaders when it comes to attacking. They lead the chart in various benchmarking. The Blades are also eyeing an automatic qualification. They are the second favourites to win the league. As for Watford, they are in contention for making it to the playoffs. The Hornets will look to take at least a point away from this match.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
