Bristol City vs Sheffield United prediction: Blades to take a result back to Bramall Lane | OneFootball

Bristol City take on Sheffield United on Thursday in the first leg of the play-off semi-finals, as both sides look to take a step towards promotion to the Premier League (8pm, Sky Sports Main Event).

Sheffield United finished third in the Championship this season, 10 points behind Leeds United and Burnley, though they enter the play-offs having been by far the best of the four sides since August.

Contrastingly, Bristol City only clinched a play-off place with a final-day draw against Preston North End, finishing on 68 points.

Nevertheless, the play-offs are famed for the ability of the ‘lesser’ sides to find a win over the two legs, and there’s little to separate the teams at Ashton Gate, with football betting sites pricing both at 17/10 to grab the win on Thursday.

However, Liam Manning’s side are still underdogs for the overall tie ahead of the first leg, with Sheffield United priced at 1/2 to qualify for the play-off final later this month compared to 6/4 for the Robins.

Both of these sides suffered from fairly mixed form as the Championship season came to an end, with City losing three of their last five and Sheffield United losing three.

That may explain why betting sites are finding it difficult to separate the two in this game, with equal odds on a win for each side and 21/10 on a draw.

In the regular season, City were unable to defeat their northern opponents home or away, with Sheffield United winning 2-1 away before they played out a 1-1 draw at Bramall Lane in March.

Having said that, Bristol City haven’t lost at home since early February (a total of eight games), and their last six matches have all involved goals for both sides.

The Robins could use home advantage to take a result into the second leg, and with that in mind, we’re backing the Robins to draw with both teams to score, at odds of 4/1.

Bristol City vs Sheffield United prediction: Expect goals in the first leg

Seven of Bristol City’s last 10 matches have seen three or more goals scored, while Sheffield United have seen that many goals (or more) in just three of their last 10.

However, with plenty on the line in the play-offs and with Sheffield United having proven that they’re the better side over the course of the regular season, we expect plenty of goals at Ashton Gate.

A wager on over 2.5 goals in the first leg is offered at 6/4 with William Hill.

When having a bet, it’s vital to practice responsible gambling.

When using gambling sites be aware that sports betting can be addictive. Please take steps to remain in control of your time and budget. The same applies whether you’re using new betting sites, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, or any other gambling medium.

Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses.

It’s particularly important not to get carried away by any free bets or casino offers you might receive, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution.

You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs.

You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having:

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.