Sheff Utd vs Luton Prediction: Low-scoring affair on the cards

Boxing Day (15:00) serves up a relegation six-pointer between Sheffield United and Luton Town at Bramall Lane, with just three points separating the sides in the Premier League standings.

The Blades are currently sat rock-bottom of the table, but there will be a feeling of optimism around the club with Chris Wilder back at the helm, even more so after their respectable draw at Villa Park last Thursday.

Luton earned a valiant three points against Newcastle United at the weekend, and the Hatters will be hoping to build on that victory here.

Team News

Sheffield United will be without defender Jayden Bogle after he collected a fifth booking of the season at Aston Villa last time out, but Gustavo Hamer is likely to be included from the start after his cameo as a substitute at Villa Park.

As for Luton, Marvelous Nakamba returns after serving a one-match ban of his own, but that apart, there are no fresh injury concerns, so Rob Edwards could be tempted to name the same side that defeated Newcastle on Saturday.

Match Odds

Sheffield United are 13/10 to pick up a second win under Wilder’s stewardship, while Luton are 21/10 to make it back-to-back victories for the first time this season and the draw is 9/4.

Both teams to score can be backed at 4/5, and Oli McBurnie is the favourite to score anytime at 9/4.

Draw @ 9/4

Sheffield United have shored things up defensively since Chris Wilder has returned to the dugout, and the 1-1 draw they shared with red-hot Aston Villa on Friday is certainly a cause to be optimistic.

Since Wilder’s return, the Blades have lost against Liverpool and Chelsea – perhaps as expected – but their other two results have been a victory over Brentford and the aforementioned stalemate with Villa.

Sheffield United have lost just one of their past seven league meetings with Luton, winning three and drawing three, but Wilder’s side will be facing a spirited Hatters outfit who come into this game off the back of an excellent result against Newcastle.

Luton also have run Manchester City and Arsenal close in recent weeks, so they’ll be confident they can get something from this game.

I think the draw is the best play, as both sides have been inconsistent for the majority of the season.

Under 2.5 goals @ 8/11

Sheffield United have played four matches since Chris Wilder’s return to the club, and all four games have resulted in under 2.5 goals. In fact, the Blades have scored the fewest amount of goals in the league this season, with 13.

Luton have played out high-scoring games with Brentford, Manchester City and Arsenal in recent weeks, but their team isn’t littered with goals either, only scoring five more than their opponents so far this term.

The key difference between the sides have been defensively – Sheffield United have shipped 44 goals, by far the highest amount the league, while the Hatters have conceded 32.

All things considered, I can see a low-scoring game playing out at Bramall Lane.

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