Championship: Sheffield United vs Cardiff verdict, predicted score, key stats and suggested bets
Sheffield United's Iliman Ndiaye
Sheffield United will continue their automatic promotion push when they host Championship strugglers Cardiff City in the Saturday lunch-time kick-off.
Date, KO time and TV coverage
Championship, Saturday, April 15, Kick-off 12:30pm, live on Sky Sports.
Predicted score
Suggested bets
Sheffield United to win
Sheffield United win to nil
Under 2.5 goals
Key stats
Sheffield United have won seven of their last nine home matches.
Sheffield United have kept nine clean sheets in all competitions at home.
Cardiff City have failed to score in 12 of their 19 away matches.
There have been under 2.5 goals in 16 of Cardiff's 20 away matches.
Team news
The main concern for Sheffield United is the absence of Wes Foderingham. Adam Davies will deputise after the Blades' number one was sent off against Burnley.
Ben Osborn (hamstring), Enda Stevens (), Rhian Brewster (hamstring), Rhys Norrington-Davies (hamstring) and Jack O'Connell (knee) are expected to miss out.
The visitors are expected to be with Callum Robinson (hamstring), Ebou Adams (leg) and Jamilu Collins (ACL).
Verdict
Sheffield United's defeat to Burnley allowed Luton Town to close the gap between the sides, but the Blades still hold a healthy advantage of five points with a game in hand.
Prior to that defeat, Paul Heckingbottom's men reeled off three consecutive victories against Sunderland, Norwich and Wigan to pull away from a Middlesbrough side who have lost their momentum in recent weeks.
Cardiff City sit one point above the relegation zone and if it weren't for Reading's six-point deduction last week, the Welsh side would find themselves on the wrong side of the red line.
The Bluebirds have picked up one win in three games since the international break, a 3-1 victory on their travels against Blackpool, but their away from this season has been concerning.
City are the lowest scorers in the Championship this season and their tally of 15 goals in 18 away games is the third worst.
In contrast, Sheffield United have found the net 36 times at Bramall Lane this season, but it's their defensive capabilities that have made them such a tough nut to crack in 2023.
United have kept nine clean sheets since the turn of the year and were victorious in eight of those matches. Their tally of seven 1-0 wins speaks volumes about their ability to keep things tight when they need to.
Cardiff aren't the most expansive side and you'd expect them to come under significant pressure here, but they are a side fighting for their Championship status, so you'd expect them to keep things respectable.
