Eng. Championship
2009-04-20 - Burnley vs Sheffield United
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Burnley
This is a big match for 6th placed Burnley as they look to give themselves some breathing space in the final playoff position with Swansea and Preston North End both breathing down their necks.
Burnley currently have 69 points, 1 more than the 2 teams below them with their 19-12-12 record this season. Burnley are 12-5-4 at Turf Moor where they have managed to score 37 goals and conceded 23 goals. Only 3 teams have managed to win more games at home than Burnley this season and only 4 teams have managed to score more home goals.
Burnley lost their last League game at Cardiff, which was their first defeat in 7 League matches. They have only lost 1 of their last 10 games at home in all competitions and they have won their last 3 at home. Burnley have scored 10 goals in their last 3 games at home and they have not conceded a goal in their last 2 at Turf Moor.
Steve Thompson and Martin Paterson are both struggling for fitness for this match which means Jay Rodriguez is on standby to come into the side. Their leading scorer in the youth team is also in line to be promoted to allow them to have more options up front.
Sheffield United
Sheffield United have a big game themselves here for different reasons than Burnley. At the moment, United are 3rd in the Championship and their 21-13-9 record leaves them 4 points behind Birmingham City in the race for automatic promotion to the Premier League with 3 games left. This is a game in hand that Sheffield United have to play.
Sheffield United are 10-7-4 away from home where they have scored 26 goals and conceded 16. They have lost the least amount of games away from home in the Championship and also have the best away defensive record in the league.
The Blades have been on an exceptional run in the Championship, although they will feel they dropped 2 points last week in the 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest. United are unbeaten in their last 11 games in the Championship and they had won 5 in a row before the draw last week. They have only conceded 1 goal in their last 5 games . United are unbeaten in their last 15 games away from home. They have won 3 of their last 4 away from home and only conceded 1 goal in those games.
Sun Jihai, Matthew Kilgallon and Stephen Quinn are all fitness doubts for this game. Brian Howard is out through suspension.
Head to Head
Burnley won the reverse fixture 2-3 at Bramall Lane earlier this season, but they had not won any of their last 6 against Sheffield United before then.
Sheffield United have not lost at Turf Moor on their last 4 visits, and they have actually won 3 of those games. United have won their last 2 visits to Turf Moor 1-2.
Prediction
Burnley have been on solid form but the pressure is going to increase on them as Swansea and Preston both managed important wins this weekend to come within a point of Burnley and their final playoff place. They have a few problems up front but have been strong in front of their own support this season.
Sheffield United need a win to keep the pressure on Birmingham as the season draws to a close. They have a very good away record and have a good record here at Turf Moor. They have a long unbeaten record now and will look for the final push to get them back to the promised land of the Premier League.
This match is going to be fascinating as both sides have a lot to play for and both are desperate in their need for 3 points for different reasons. Burnley are struggling with their options up front and I think this may give Sheffield United the edge with their strong away defence.
I will play the Blades to win and take another step in the right direction when it comes to automatic promotion.
The Pick :
Burnley 1-2 Sheffield United
