The Championship serves us a Sunday treat at Bramall Lane with the first Sheffield derby in five years.
Chris Wilder’s high-flying Sheffield United welcome Danny Röhl’s struggling Sheffield Wednesday as the two battle for bragging rights in the Steel City.
(Just don’t mention that the last three meetings between the two have ended 0-0.)
Our tipster, James O’Rourke, has sensibly scoured Paddy’s markets for this game and brings a Bet Builder to light these dark November evenings.
Here are his Sheffield United v Sheffield Wednesday betting tips
Sheffield United v Sheffield Wednesday Tips
Under 2.5 goals
Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper to make 3+ saves
Barry Bannan to be fouled 1+ times
Over 3.5 cards
Over 5.5 home corners
- A Bet Builder with these bets pays at approximately 10/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
WHEN: Sunday, 10th of November, 12:30pm
WHERE: Bramall Lane, Sheffield
TV: Sky Sports Football
Under 2.5 goals
For the first time in over five-and-a-half years, Sheffield will come to a standstill as one. The Steel City derby is back, in the first renewal since March 2019. The previous three have ended a goalless draw, highlighting how tense these occasions can get. However, football has changed a lot even since then, so how will this one go?\
The safer call is not necessarily to expect goals. Undoubtedly, it is a big day for the city; to a degree, all form disappears. The Blades and The Owls at least head into Sunday’s encounter following midweek victories.
The hosts look back on track, having recorded a third straight victory with a 98th minute at Bristol City on Tuesday. 24 hours later, Wednesday had a much easier time beating Norwich 2-0 at home.
Tactics will dictate how this much should be played out for the majority. Chris Wilder’s side are unbeaten at home all season in league and cup, so they should be on the front foot.
Danny Röhl is likelier to set his side up to be hard to beat. Plenty of tackles should also be flying in, meaning quite a stop-start contest should materialise. These factors would raise the prospect of a low-scoring affair.
Sheffield United’s home league battles this season are only averaging 1.83 goals anyway. That, along with the fact they’ll likely come up against quite a stubborn opponent, further enhances the case of at least no more than two goals being netted.
Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper to make 3+ saves
As mentioned, tactics are everything here. The away team have one of the lowest average ball possession figures in the Championship.
It would be entirely against the grain if they took the game to their very talented opponents, who went second in the table this weekend. Röhl will, of course, be aware that his side has won back-to-back away league games, but they have had to soak up some pressure in doing so.
It would likely be a little different if this match were played at Hillsborough, but Sheffield Wednesday would undoubtedly accept a draw. Therefore, their goalkeeper should be the busier of the two, with United likely only having counterattacks and set pieces to defend against.
Across the season in all competitions, The Owls have conceded an average of 11.28 shots to their opponents. Conversely, The Blades are averaging 4.56 shots on target across all their fixtures in the current campaign.
Barry Bannan to be fouled 1+ times
This fixture will mean more to Barry Bannan than most on Sunday afternoon. There is no doubt of his love, commitment and loyalty to Sheffield Wednesday, given he has played solely for them since signing in August 2015.
Now 34 and soon 35, he plays an integral role in their midfield. He will again line up in the starting eleven this weekend and look to play his usual creative role.
The former Aston Villa man is less known for his goals these days. However, he does have two to his name in 2024/25 in league action, which has already doubled his Championship goal return from last season.
However, he is the man who gets on the ball and looks to produce that killer pass or at least keep the attack progressing. He is ranked second in the squad to Marvin Johnson regarding Expected Assisted Goals (xAG).
Therefore, when he gets on the ball, Chris Wilder will likely have instructed his players to keep him quiet by keeping him so it will naturally boost their chances of having a more successful day. Bannan, therefore, could easily be on the receiving end of a foul or two across the 90 minutes.
Recent history suggests it is likely, as the midfielder has been fouled at least once in his previous three appearances.
Over 3.5 cards
A firm referee is needed for such occasions, but one would suspect the EFL has not appointed someone prepared to keep his cards in his pocket.
Lewis Smith will take charge of his 18th campaign contest, which has seen him officiate in the Premier League, Championship and League One competitions. Since the beginning of August, Smith has issued an average of 3.33 yellow cards per match.
Also, three red cards have been issued across the previous ten games he has overseen. Heading into this round of fixtures, Sheffield United are ranked fourth in the league regarding the number of yellow cards received. They jump up to third if purely focusing on home encounters.
The visitors can also be expected to contribute to the card count based on the predicted game state. If they are sitting back more often than not, it can become quite frustrating and somewhat tiring later in the game. Therefore, frustrations could spill even, regardless of whether they are winning, drawing or losing at the time.
No referee likes to hand out an early card in games like this, as it generally sets the tone for the remainder of the match. Knowing how competitive this will be, in the first Steel City Derby in many years, it could only take one incident for it to get out of hand potentially.
Over 5.5 home corners
Sheffield United have yet to taste defeat this season in league and cup at Bramall Lane. They have played seven, winning six and drawing once. They have kept a clean sheet in their previous five matches here. This reflects the task at hand for Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday.
Therefore, this team is used to dominating games in front of their supporters. Manager Chris Wilder always makes his team aggressive, particularly at home, with the mentality that only a win is acceptable at this level.
We’ve already touched upon how United should see more of the ball and apply more consistent pressure throughout the match. Therefore, naturally, they should be strong contenders to earn a few corners. Over their home encounters, they’ve averaged 6.43 corners per game, so they have form in the book in that respect.
Looking at their opponents, Wednesday concede an average of 6.33 corners per Championship away clash this season.
Sheffield United v Sheffield Wednesday Tips
Under 2.5 goals
Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper to make 3+ saves
Barry Bannan to be fouled 1+ times
Over 3.5 cards
Over 5.5 home corners
- A Bet Builder with these bets pays at approximately 10/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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