After suffering from a poor start to their 2023/24 Premier League campaign, Manchester United will look to respond when they face Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Saturday.
Winning four and losing four of their league outings so far, Erik ten Hag remains under pressure in the midst of a long, drawn-out takeover tussle in the boardroom. Sir Jim Ratcliffe's expected purchase of a minority stake in the club is yet to be confirmed and may not be ratified until the new year.
His Red Devils have netted just nine goals in the competition to date but they'll look to amend that in the latest edition of a head-to-head fixture in which they have great pedigree.
That's because they've lost just twice across 10 prior Premier League meetings with the Blades and with their opponents failing to win any of their opening eight league matches of the season this time around, they'll be keen to take advantage.
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Sheffield United vs Manchester United match facts
- Date: Saturday, October 21, 2023
- Kickoff Time: 8:00 p.m. BST
- Location: Bramall Lane (Sheffield, England)
- Official: Michael Oliver
- Last meeting: Manchester United 1-2 Sheffield United (January 27, 2021 — Premier League)
Sheffield United vs Manchester United prediction, odds
- Full-time result: Manchester United to win (2/5)
- Score prediction: Sheffield United 0-2 Manchester United
| SHE win | Draw | MNU win | Both teams to score Y / N | Over / Under 2.5 goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetOnSports (UK) | 11/2 | 17/4 | 2/5 | 3/4, 1/1 | 8/15, 7/5 |
Sheffield United vs Manchester United best bet
- Pick: Under 2.5 goals
- Odds: 7/5 (BetOnSports)
We're backing a 2-0 away win for Erik ten Hag's side here and as such, the under 2.5 goals scored as our best bet. At 7/5, it offers decent value and there's plenty of reasoning behind this being our pick.
Given that the Red Devils have netted in all 10 of their prior head-to-head Premier League matches with the Blades, it feels unlikely that they'll be blanked in this one. The hosts have also conceded 2+ goals in each of their past seven league outings.
That could point towards another big home loss, like in their 0-8 hammering from Newcastle United last month, but Manchester United don't exactly ooze goalscoring prowess at the moment. They've netted over three times in a match in just one of their past five outings, whilst away from home they've managed that in just one of their prior 16 matches.
Sheffield United vs Manchester United smart bet
- Pick: Marcus Rashford to score first
- Odds: 4/1 (BetOnSports)
Although he's been struggling of late in the Premier League with the Red Devils, Marcus Rashford showed exactly what he's about when he struck against Italy for England at Wembley in Euro 2024 qualifying this month.
Picking the ball up on the left, the 25-year-old produced one of his vintage moments as he cut inside two defenders before unleashing a powerful shot into the bottom corner.
That should give him plenty of confidence on his return to the United lineup and, given he's facing the team who head into the weekend occupying bottom spot in the standings, we're backing him to net first here. On top of that, Rashford has scored three goals in four outings against the Blades during his career, with all three of those coming at Bramall Lane.
