Manchester City - Sheffield United predictions and free betting tips [30/12/2023]

On Saturday, 30 December, as part of the 20th round of the Premier League (PL), Manchester City will host Sheffield United on their home turf. The "Citizens" managed with some struggle to defeat Everton with a score of 2:1 last week and moved closer to the top trio, while the "Blades" remain at the bottom of the standings.

Predicted Line-ups

Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Ake; Lewis, Rodri; Bernardo, Foden, Grealish; Alvarez.
Sheffield United: Foderingham; Bogle, Baldock, Robinson, Trusty, Lowe; Souza, Norwood, Brooks; Archer, McBurnie.

Manchester City

Manchester City's historic triumph in the PL, domestic cups, and the Champions League last season preceded the first trophy of the current campaign, captivated by Guardiola's gang last week. The Mancunians easily defeated Fluminense 4:0 in the final of the Club World Cup, yet there's no guarantee that the Citizens will defend the national championship title. Currently, the hosts occupy only fourth place in the Premier League table, five points behind leaders Liverpool.

The Sky Blues have experienced some struggles in recent weeks, with only two wins in the last seven rounds - however, on Wednesday, City managed to overcome Everton on the road 3:1. Everton took an early lead through Jack Harrison, but second-half goals from Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez, and Bernardo Silva turned the game around. Nevertheless, the hosts have conceded in each of their last eight PL matches - the club's worst record under Guardiola since his arrival in 2016. 

Sheffield United

In the off-season, Sheffield United returned to the elite English division, but the Blades are having serious troubles: they've collected only 9 points from 19 games and are stuck at the very bottom of the table. Despite securing their second win of the season over Brentford (1:0) at the start of the month, the Blades have only managed to get one point from their following three matches with Chelsea (2:0), Aston Villa (1:1), and Luton Town (2:3). Goals from Oli McBurnie and Anel Ahmedhodzic put the Blades ahead, but two own-goals from Jack Robinson and Anis Ben Sliman resulted in Sheffield’s 14th defeat of the season. 

Head-to-Head

The Citizens haven't lost any of their previous 11 PL matches against the Blades, winning the last six. The first-round duel ended with a hard-fought 2:1 victory for City on the road.

Match Forecast for Manchester City vs Sheffield United

Man City, even without Haaland and De Bruyne, shouldn't have any troubles grabbing maximum points against drowning Sheffield. The visitors perform worst of all on the road in this PL season (only 2 points in 9 matches), and their infirmary is filled to the brim. Considering the Citizens' tournament motivation, we can boldly put stakes on Manchester City's handicap -2.5.

Total Forecast

City remains the most prolific team in the PL with 43 goals scored, and the hosts will surely improve this statistic against the league's main underdog. I'm putting my stakes on the favourites' individual total over 2.5 goals.

Corner Forecast

Manchester City vastly outclasses the opponent and will start besieging the Blades' goal from the first minutes of the game. The hosts will take at least 4 corners in the first half.

Yellow Card Forecast

Sheffield will have to neutralize the gap in class with an abundance of fouls, so the Blades will win in yellow cards.

Score Forecast

Predicting a precise score of 3:0 in favour of Manchester City.