West Brom v Sheffield United predictions: Tight contest on the cards

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for West Brom v Sheffield United in the Championship on Saturday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Football, 12.30pm Saturday

Best bet

Draw
2pts 12-5 BoyleSports

Team news

West Brom
Defender Kyle Bartley is suspended after picking up two yellow cards at Millwall, while Semi Ajayi and Daryl Dike are out injured.

Sheffield United
Wes Foderingham serves the final game of his three-match suspension and Rhys Norrington-Davies, Sander Berge, Ciaran Clark, Daniel Jebbison, Max Lowe and Jack O'Connell are all out through injury. Enda Stevens faces a late fitness test.

Match preview

Sheffield United have fallen off the pace in the Championship, with a run of six successive matches without a win seeing them drop from top spot to fifth.

A slew of injuries have undermined the fine start made by Paul Heckingbottom’s men – Welsh international Rhys Norrington-Davies the latest key player to succumb to injury – and the three-match suspension picked up by goalkeeper Wesley Foderingham could hardly have been more untimely.

For all Sheffield United’s recent woes, however, West Brom have had a far worse time of it this season.

A campaign that was expected to bring a strong promotion challenge has instead fallen apart, and Steve Bruce was sacked after the Baggies dropped into the bottom three earlier this month.

The Baggies bounced back immediately after Bruce’s departure to land a shock success away at highflying Reading, but subsequent defeats at home to mid-table Bristol City and away at Millwall suggest that there is more holding West Brom back than just their former manager.

Newly-appointed replacement Carlos Corberan takes charge for his first match this weekend and Albion supporters will be hoping for a secondary bounce from their team given Corberan’s impressive stint at Huddersfield.

The Spaniard led an unfancied Terriers side to a third-placed finish and the playoff final last term and it is telling that Huddersfield are now the only team below his new club in the Championship.

The Baggies boss will need time to fully implement his plans, but he takes over a talented squad who will be boosted by such a positive appointment and could grab a point against a patched-up Blades side.

Key stat

West Brom are winless in their last five home games while Sheffield United have not won any of their last six matches.

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