football | Friday, February 24, 2023 10:11 AM (Revised at: Friday, February 24, 2023 10:12 AM)

Jimmy’s Punt February 24th - 151.00 Monster Punt This Saturday

James Cantrill

Sheffield United vs Watford Best Bet: Saturday, February, 25

Bramall Lane plays host to a tasty looking clash on Saturday afternoon as Sheffield United face Watford in the Championship.

It looks like a perfect storm for cards. Promotion hopeful Blades are faltering, Slaven Bilic looks to frustrate on the road and there is a very favourable referee appointment.

It’s got beef written all over it and with that in mind, I will be having a few arrows in the player card market. The four bookings combined at 151.00.

In this article:

Sheffield United vs Watford Preview
Sheffield United vs Watford Bet

Sheffield United vs Watford Preview

Saturday, February 25, 15:00 (UK)

Second placed Sheffield United went into their match against third placed Middlesbrough on February 15th 10 points clear with a game in hand.

Fast forward four days, and the Blades advantage has shrunken to four points, and while they still have the game in hand, they look to be on the brink of a capitulation.

Despite taking an early lead against Boro, Sheff Utd were outplayed and ultimately thumped 1-3. Numerically, their advantage remained but psychologically, their promotion hopes were dented and that of their main rivals only strengthened.

One of the most damning things about that evening was the manager and players conduct.

Paul Heckingbottom was sent off after kicking the fourth official’s substitution board. The Blades boss did not feel his side gained an advantage from a foul and a minute later the ball was in his side’s net.

Either way, that sort of behaviour does not exactly emit calmness to his side. Certainly not to Jack Robinson anyway. Moments later the defender was picking a fight with a fan who, without a shadow of a doubt was giving him jip. Robinson had to be escorted down the tunnel.

Three days later SUFC conceded three against and lost at the Den while Boro scored three again to beat QPR and close the gap to four.

The overriding point being Sheff U are under pressure, pressure which they do not seem to be handling well.

Sheffield United vs Watford Best Bet

Only Swansea have picked up more cards than Sheffield United in the Championship this season, no side has picked up more than the Blades at home though.

Only one of their 16 home games have seen fewer than four cards flashed, when they hosted Reading, with a staggering total of 89 cards awarded in total.

That is an average of 5.56 per game!

Sheffield United have racked up at least two in 81% of those games, only failing to pick up at least one in that cardless game against the Royals.

Combine Sheffield United’s home card record with Kieth Stroud, and imagine how many there could be on Saturday.

Stroud has dished out 116 yellows and three red cards in 22 Championship appearances this campaign, a chart topping average of over 5.40 per game.

Also worth noting Bilic set out his stall to frustrate Burnley at Turf Moor in a game that yielded six bookings.

So the big question is who to pick? I am going to go with four players, most likely to start, play the duration and they obviously need to be players who do not mind a card.

First selection is the aforementioned Jack Robinson. The LCB has notched up three cards in 11 starts, all of which coming in his last five appearances and will be opposing Ismaïla Sarr, the Hornets most fouled (2.1) player.

Oliver McBurnie will be joining him. The hosts frontman has nine cards domestically, one in each of his last two starts, one for a foul and the other for an argument.

Hamza Choudhury also makes up a selection, he tops his sides charts for cards, accumulating three in his last four appearances.

The final selection is the Hornets shot stopper Daniel Bachmann because the Austrian seems like a loose cannon. He’s picked up five cards this campaign, one for time wasting, the rest for arguments and this fills me with confidence for a game I expect to boil over.