Sheffield United vs Brentford prediction 09.12.2023

• Competition: Premier League
• Date: Saturday, 9th December 2023
• Kickoff: 15:00 UK / 16:00 CET
• Venue: Bramall Lane (Sheffield)

After securing the Premier League by finishing second in the Championship last year, most football experts expected a challenging season for Sheffield in the English top-flight division. Due to a poor Summer transfer window and numerous injuries, it became clear that the difficult season is ahead of the Blades. However, probably no one expected them to be as poor as they currently are. Right now, Sheffield United are 20th with only five points from 15 rounds. Luckily, they are still five points away from the safe zone, and with only a couple of wins, the Blades could drastically change the situation. But from what we have seen so far, Sheffield have very little to be optimistic about.

Brentford are constantly getting better in the previous decade and a half. Not that long ago, the Bees played in League Two but slowly became one of the stable Premier League teams. This season, Brentford are once again doing OK in the Premier League, as they are currently 11th with 19 points - already 12 away from the danger zone. And they are doing all of it without their key striker, Ivan Toney, who is suspended for betting. Our impression is that they are still not ready to be a team that battles for European spots, and another mid-table league finish is a much more realistic scenario. 

Sheffield United vs Brentford pick: Over 2.5 goals

Sheffield United have the worst defensive record in the Premier League this season, and it is not even close. So far, they allowed 41 goals in 15 rounds - 2.73 per game, and even though there were some signs of improvement in early November when they won four points in two games, the following three games were terrible. In those three games, they allowed ten goals, with a devastating 5:0 loss to last season's Championship winners, Burnley. Because of that terrible defensive record, Sheffield United were over 2.5 goals 11 of 15 times (73%).

Brentford are in poor form, with three losses in the last four games, but to be fair, it was against good competition. Still, allowing seven goals in four games is problematic. Combined with only two wins away from home in eight games in all competitions, we simply do not trust them enough to win the upcoming game vs the last-placed Sheffield. Instead, an over 2.5 goals bet looks a lot better, considering the Bees were over 2.5 goals in four of the last five matches. 

Additionally, the Bees were over 2.5 goals in all three games against the teams from the bottom of the league with a 7:4 goal difference. We have seen 3.67 goals per game in those games, and considering Sheffield's awful defensive performances, we think we should see another high-scoring game.