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Sheffield United are third in the Championship but if they win this Friday night game at Aston Villa, then they will go to the top of the table. United have only lost one of their last eight league games and have a top striker in Billy Sharp. He's scored three goals in the last two United matches and already has 20 for the season. The Blades had to come from 2-0 down to rescue a point at leaders Norwich City in their last away game with Sharp scoring both goals.
Aston Villa are down in ninth place in the Championship but a win here will take them to within a point of the promotion play-off places. They have drawn 13 league games this season which is far too many. They are high goal scorers with 53 in the league this season but the problem they have is that they have conceded 46 times. 19 of their 30 league games have seen over 2.5 goals scored in them and the tip here is for this match to be the latest Villa game to have over 2.5 goals scored in the 90 minutes.
After a few rocky results, there’s plenty for boss Dean Smith to be concerned about. While the hosts are looking to cut the gap to the top six, Sheffield United can jump into first place in the table if they can grab three points at Villa Park. The Blades come here with a huge chance to put the pressure on the top two, with Leeds and Norwich in danger of losing their spell in the automatic promotion places.
Aston Villa dropped points in the playoff chase at the weekend, as they drew 0-0 at Reading. For a side who have marched forward under Dean Smith thanks to their great attacking record, Villa were limited up front in that clash with a relegation-threatened side. After slipping up against the third bottom team, they now turn to face the side in third place. It’s the kind of game Villa need to be winning to boost their top six hopes, but their struggles in recent weeks suggests this will be a tough one for the Villains.
The Blades have one of the league’s best records on the road, with only three teams in the division securing more away points. Meanwhile, Villa have the 10th best home record in the league, failing to win 60% of their home matches so far this season.