Aston Villa v Sheffield United Betting Preview and Tips

Ladies and gentlemen, the Premier League is finally back.

Kicking things off first is an intriguing clash between Aston Villa and Sheffield United this Wednesday at 18:00pm.

Had you had looked at the fixture list at the start of the season, many fans would have identified this fixture in being a key one in the race for survival. However, this is the case for only one of the sides.

Villa are down and struggling, whilst the Blades have been the league's surprise package of the season. The latter are five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea with a game in hand, and a win on Wednesday would see them leapfrog Manchester United into fourth.

A victory for Dean Smith's side would be equally as crucial though, as this would see the club come out of the bottom three. With plenty to play for, we've taken a deeper look into the stats and odds for this game.

Given the current circumstances, it may seem a little pointless analysing 'recent' form, but each club's results before the league came to a halt gives us a strong indication into the story of their seasons so far.

The Blades' success this campaign has been well documented, and they are unbeaten in their last six across all competitions. In fact, in 2020, only two sides have gotten the better of Sheffield United - the Premier League top two in Liverpool and Manchester City. Wilder's side have the second best defensive record in the division, as their rigid shape makes them such a hard team to break down.

Given such statistics, their odds to win at 6/5 are perhaps a little bigger than first expected. Even their double chance price at 4/11 is relatively generous, and one some may fancy to bolster any week-long accumulators.

United's price to come away with points looks promising, particularly when we delve into Villa's form this year. They have won just two league games in 2020, losing their last four. They conceded eleven times over the course of these defeats, with their huge 11/5 underdog price being inevitable.

Given Sheffield United's strong defensive record this season, the both teams to score market has been quite a rarity for them.

It has landed just three times in their last nine games, with four of their last six victories 'coming to nil'. For those that fancy the Blades to do their usual business in shutting up shot and grabbing a goal, this market is 5/2, a fair increase on their standard win price.

With just twenty-five goals conceded, Wilder's men have kept ten clean sheets this season, with not many of their games 'producing fireworks'. The under 2.5 goal market has remarkably landed in eleven of their last twelve league games, with bet365 offering odds of 8/11 to making it twelve out of thirteen.

The Blades' record does conflict with Villa though, who have seen this market land eight times in their last nine league games. They have drawn a blank at home just once this season, making the both teams to score market looking quite generous at 4/5.

Having delved into the stats, it's clear that both these clubs create quite the contrast.

Villa's poor defensive record makes them suspect against any side, with United aren't ones to commit many men forward. They prefer a more pragmatic and patient approach, slowly working their openings whilst maintaining a solid defensive shape.

Given that Smith's men have failed to score just once at home this season, we do fancy them to nick a goal. They are fighting for their lives at the bottom and their fans will not allow them to sit back in a must win game.

They will be met by a solid backline in United though, with a 1-1 looking a safe shout. It's a scoreline that the Blades have seen five times on the road this season, and at 6/1 with bet365, we fancy this decent value.