Preston v Sheffield United: Blades can blunt home attack
Published:Nigel Clough’s upwardly mobile Sheffield United side may be leaving it late to challenge for a play-off position but they’ll provide a true test of Preston’s own promotion aspirations.
The Blades have won their last 10 games in all competitions and have a Wembley date with Hull City to look forward to as a result of their FA Cup exploits.
But first they can take care of Simon Grayson’s Preston at Deepdale with odds of 5/2 for them to do so with Ladbrokes.
Meanwhile, the hosts are priced at 23/20 while the draw is an appealing prospect at 9/4 given Preston’s inability to see off opposition on their own patch.
The Lilywhites have drawn eight of their 17 home matches in League One this term, with only two of their seven victories as hosts coming against teams currently occupying a place in the top-half of the table.
Victories over Sheffield United have also been hard to come by in recent times with the Blades winning three of the pair’s previous five meetings. Their sole loss in that sequence was a defeat earlier in the current campaign during David Weir’s ill-fated tenure.
Clough has transformed the club’s fortunes since then though with his Sheffield side now a disciplined outfit to be reckoned with.
United have conceded just two goals in their recent unbeaten run, adding further value to the 19/4 for them to win to nil with Ladbrokes.
At the other end of the pitch striker Chris Porter has become a reliable source of goals, netting four times in his last eight games.
The 30-year-old frontman is 2/1 to score at any time and 6/1 to net the opener while 15-goal Preston forward Joe Garner is the obvious choice for the home side.
Garner’s form shows no sign of letting up with five goals in his last six matches and the 5/4 on the ex-Carlisle man to find the net in this contest is well worth snapping up.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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