Championship action on Friday evening sees second-place Sheffield United welcoming 22nd-place Hull City to Bramall Lane.
Football tipster James O’Rourke has dived into the markets for four value picks for rather tasty-looking Bet Builder. Let’s get his Sheffield United v Hull City betting tips.
Sheffield United v Hull City Bet Builder tips
Sheffield United to win
Callum O’Hare to score or assist
Sheffield United to have under 5.5 corners
Hull City to have under 4.5 corners
- A Bet Builder with these bets pays at approximately 8/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
WHEN: Friday, 24th January, 8pm
WHERE: Bramall Lane
TV: Sky Sports Football Main Event/Football
Sheffield United to win
Hull City have demonstrated some shoots of recovery since Rubén Sellés became their new Head Coach early last month. However, expecting to get anything from a tough-looking trip to Bramall Lane might be asking for too much.
After all, City have a dreadful record against teams in the top half, so facing an opponent battling for the title highlights the task at hand. The Tigers have played 18 matches against clubs currently positioned 14th or above, returning only 10 out of a possible 54 points against them.
On the other hand, Sheffield United excel against the lesser-known teams in the Championship. All four of their league losses have come against top-five opposition, so no team placed sixth or below have beaten them all season.
Specifically versus clubs 14th or below, The Blades have played 12, won 11 and drawn once. Absolutely everything points towards another home victory on Friday night, whose home record is only second to Leeds.
Callum O’Hare to score or assist
With key playmaker and top scorer Gustavo Hamer serving a suspension, it places extra significance on others in the attacking areas to step up for Sheffield United. One of those, undoubtedly, is Callum O’Hare, one of the first names on Chris Wilder’s team sheet these days.
The former Coventry City man has primarily played a number ten role but could be fielded in a wider berth here. Doing so would not harm his chances of creating an assist through crosses into the box.
Even so, O’Hare is second on the squad list for the most assists made in league action this season. Although he is not a regular goalscorer, Hamer’s absence will allow him to take up different positions, which would aid his prospects of adding to his two goals this campaign.
He is an industrious player anyway and does anything but stand still. Therefore, a Hull side sitting in the relegation zone will likely have major issues trying to keep him at bay.
Sheffield United to have under 5.5 corners
Chris Wilder’s side may be enjoying a three-match winning streak in the Championship, but they haven’t dominated as much lately regarding recording corners.
Although they play with adventurous fullbacks, this team is generally quite happy to work the ball into central areas more often than not. Of course, they’ll whip in crosses from time to time.
However, they have many intricate players who can thread balls through the eye of a needle, which is one reason for the lack of corners.
To contextualise this, let us go through some of their figures recently on the corner count. As mentioned, United have won three in succession, however they have only averaged 3.00 corners per match in this sequence.
Seven of those nine came within one match, with the Blades earning zero corners in their away win at Watford a few weeks ago. Only in three of their previous 11 games in all competitions have Sheff Utd gained a minimum of six corners.
Hull City to have under 4.5 corners
Hull have also been another team in the Championship that have not been regular contributors to the corner count in recent encounters. Again, it is possibly the tactics of Sellés that could explain this.
He is a controlled possession-based manager and wants his team to build up through the thirds. Also, playing away from home to Sheffield United, ranked joint-second in the league for the most clean sheets, means attacking opportunities will be more limited anyway.
Sellés have overseen nine league contests since departing Reading for Easy Yorkshire, and they have really struggled to win corners during this time. Across those fixtures, Hull have only averaged 3.44 corners.
Also, just twice have the team managed to create five or more corners, one being in his first match when drawing with Watford at home.
Sheffield United v Hull City Bet Builder tips
Sheffield United to win
Callum O’Hare to score or assist
Sheffield United to have under 5.5 corners
Hull City to have under 4.5 corners
- A Bet Builder with these bets pays at approximately 8/1 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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