West Ham United - Sheffield United predictions and free betting tips [30/09/2023]

On Saturday, 30th September, within the 7th round of the Premier League, West Ham will host Sheffield United at their home ground. In the third round of the League Cup, the 'Hammers' defeated Lincoln City with a score of 0:1, while the 'Blades' were crushed to smithereens by Newcastle last weekend – 0:8.

Expected Line-Up

West Ham: Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Soucek, Alvarez; Bowen, Ward-Prowse, Benrahma; Antonio.
Sheffield United: Foderingham; Ahmedhodzic, Basham, Egan; Baldock, Souza, Norwood, Hamer, Larouci; Archer, McBurnie.

Stadium

The match will take place in London at London Stadium.

West Ham

West Ham suffered home failure last season (14th place), but still reached the success in European competitions, winning the Europa Conference League. The London club is looking to improve its championship results in the new campaign, and the start has been promising. Currently holding the 7th position, the 'Hammers' remained undefeated in the first 4 rounds (3 wins and 1 draw). However, David Moyes' charges subsequently suffered defeats from Manchester City (1:3) and Liverpool (3:1). In the debut round of the Europa League, West Ham met the expectations of fans, defeating the Serbian club TSK Bačka Topola with a score of 3:1. This week, the capital's team defeated Lincoln City in the 1/16 final of the League Cup (0:1): in the 70th minute, Tomas Soucek scored with a header after a corner kick getting them to the fourth round, where they will face a harsher test – Arsenal.

Notably, the hosts have a potent attack: they have scored in all eight matches this season. There are doubts regarding the left-back Cresswell's presence this Saturday, while the rest of the Londoners are available to play. Playmaker Ward-Prowse, who joined the club from Southampton in the summer and has begun his career excellently (2 goals and 3 assists), will certainly start. Important winger Bowen (4 goals and 1 assist), as well as former Lyon player Paqueta (1 goal and 1 assist) should also start. After his transfer, Ghanaian Kudus has spent the first 3 championship matches on the bench and he will battle for a spot at the tip of the attack with the Jamaican Antonio (2 goals).

Sheffield United

Last year, Sheffield United, after holding 2nd place in the Championship, returned to the Premier League this summer. The league newcomer has yet to adapt to another level of competitiveness of opponents, as evidenced by its current 20th and last-place in the Premier League standings. Losing their first three matches, the team drew 2:2 with Everton, and then lost 2:1 to Tottenham in a dramatic twist. The last round against Newcastle ended with Sheffield's heaviest home defeat in the history of Premier League – 0:8.

Head-to-Head

West Ham has defeated Sheffield twice in the 2020-21 season, winning a tough game 0:1 at Bramall Lane, and then effortlessly thrashing them 3:0 at an empty London Stadium.

Match Prediction for West Ham vs. Sheffield United

The catastrophic defeat, 8 conceded goals, from Newcastle should wake up Sheffield and give additional motivation to recover as soon as possible. However, doing this against West Ham, and away, seems utopian. The Londoners have built good momentum at the start of the season and have a quality squad by Premier League standards, so they should easily come out on top with a handicap -1.

Over/Under Prediction

Sheffield has, unsurprisingly, conceded the most goals in the Premier League – 17, while West Ham has scored 11 goals in the first six rounds. My prediction is a total of over 1.5 for the hosts.

Corners Prediction

West Ham are superior and play in front of their fans, meaning they retain ball possession and will win all principal indicators (including corners—handicap -1.5).

Yellow Cards Prediction

Sheffield earns yellow cards about one and a half times more often than West Ham - winning for the guests by this measure is guaranteed.

Score Prediction

I bet on the exact score 3:0 in favour of West Ham.