Sheffield United v Tottenham: Premier League betting preview, free tip & TV

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Sheffield United v Tottenham in the Premier League on Thursday.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Premier League & Main Event, 6pm Thursday

Best bet

Tottenham to win & under 3.5 goals
1pt 8-5 Betway, BoyleSports

Team news

Sheffield United
John Lundstram (shoulder) faces a late fitness test while defender Jack O'Connell is unlikely to be risked as he recovers from a knee injury.

Tottenham
Spurs have no fresh injury concerns but Juan Foyth, Japhet Tanganga and Troy Parrott remain sidelined.

Match preview

Jose Mourinho does not come across as a sentimental soul and the pragmatic Tottenham manager could add another unhappy chapter to Sheffield United's fairytale Premier League campaign.

The Blades, ante-post favourites for relegation following their promotion from the Sky Bet Championship, were in seventh place, looking down on Spurs and Arsenal, when the season was suspended in March.

However, Chris Wilder's men have struggled to maintain that standard since the resumption, taking just one point from three league games and losing 2-1 at home to Arsenal in last weekend's FA Cup quarter-final.

There are undoubtedly mitigating circumstances for the Blades, who had a good goal chalked off due to a goal-line technology error in the 0-0 draw at Aston Villa.

Their next game at Newcastle was goalless until John Egan was sent off early in the second half and the Magpies eased to a 3-0 win. And, with Egan suspended, on-loan goalkeeper Dean Henderson ineligible and centre-back Jack O'Connell injured, they lined up with a depleted rearguard in the 3-0 defeat at in-form Manchester United.

Wilder has been working with a small core of regular starters this season and the hectic post-break schedule puts a huge strain on the United squad.

Eight players have started 27 or more of their 31 league games while John Lundstram has made 25 starts and five substitute appearances.

The midfielder is a major doubt after suffering a shoulder injury during the cup defeat to Arsenal and O'Connell, who helped the Blades establish the second-best defensive record in the division (behind Liverpool) before the break, is likely to miss out.

While Sheffield United's resources are stretched, Mourinho's Tottenham welcomed back Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son and Steven Bergwijn from injury when the season resumed.

The break also gave Spurs time to regroup after a miserable run in February and March which saw them knocked out of the Champions League by Leipzig, lose on penalties to Norwich in the FA Cup, and suffer league defeats to Chelsea and Wolves.

They are still some way short of the standards they reached under Mauricio Pochettino last season but they have made a respectable restart, with a 1-1 draw with Manchester United and a 2-0 win over West Ham.

Having played only twice, compared with the Blades' four league and cup games, should give Spurs another edge and they are worth backing to claim a narrow win.

Sheffield United's games are rarely expansive – none of their last 18 league matches have featured over 3.5 goals – and Tottenham have scored just 20 times in 15 away fixtures this term.

Key stat

Sheffield United have conceded six goals in their last two Premier League games, having let in just four in their previous eight matches.

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