Sheffield Utd v Chelsea: Premier League football betting preview, free tip & TV

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

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Premier League & Main Event, 5.30pm Saturday

Best bet

Both teams to score
2pts Evs general

Team news

Sheffield United
John Fleck and Oli McBurnie are doubts but John Lundstram and David McGoldrick should be available.

Chelsea
Billy Gilmour (knee) is likely to miss out and fellow midfielders N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic are doubts. Defender Fikayo Tomori will not feature after a minor setback in his recovery from injury.

Match preview

Chelsea head to Sheffield United in pursuit of an eighth win in nine matches but Blues boss Frank Lampard is still not satisfied with his team's performances.

Tuesday's 3-2 win at Crystal Palace was more nervy than it needed to be according to Lampard, who said after the game: "You can't feel secure in football matches if you keep giving goals away."

The three points, coupled with Leicester's draw at Arsenal, took Chelsea up to third in the Premier League so it is remarkable that such a competitive team have kept only one clean sheet in 17 away games this season.

Palace had scored just six goals in their previous ten league matches before notching twice against Chelsea while Lampard's men went down 3-2 at relegation-threatened West Ham last week.

The Blues' last away fixture before the season was suspended was a 2-2 draw at lowly Bournemouth and they resumed their campaign with a 2-1 win at struggling Aston Villa.

With N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic not fully fit, Lampard's midfield options are largely creative, attack-minded players so the evens about both teams scoring, as they have in 14 of Chelsea's 17 away games, makes plenty of appeal.

Like Chelsea, Sheffield United claimed an important midweek win thanks to John Egan's injury-time winner against Wolves.

The Blades have responded well to back-to-back 3-0 defeats against Newcastle and Manchester United, seeing off Tottenham 3-1 and Wolves 1-0 in their last two home games.

Their squad lacks Chelsea's depth of attacking talent but Chris Wilder's men pose a goal threat on their own turf. They have failed to score in just four of their 17 home games and two of those blanks came against Liverpool and Manchester City.

Wilder's well-oiled machine has been missing some important cogs recently due to injuries to defender Jack O'Connell and midfielders John Fleck and John Lundstram.

The hectic post-break schedule is a major challenge for a Blades side whose success under Wilder has been achieved with a core of key players who start virtually every game.

In contrast, Chelsea's bench at Palace – even with Kante and Kovacic absent – featured Tammy Abraham, Jorginho, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Pedro, Marcos Alonso, Antonio Rudiger, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Michy Batshuayi.

Those rich resources should increase the Blues' chances of securing Champions League football next season. However, their dodgy defence makes them easy to swerve at odds-on to win at Bramall Lane, where the Blades have beaten Arsenal, Burnley, Wolves and Spurs and drawn 3-3 with Manchester United this season.

Key stat

Chelsea have kept only one clean sheet in 17 away matches in the Premier League this season.

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