It's a huge game in the Sky Bet Championship on Monday night as the two clubs in Sheffield meet. Tom Carnduff has three best bets.
Recommended bets
1pt Sheffield Wednesday to win at 11/4
1pt Steven Fletcher to score two or more goals at 20/1
1pt Steven Fletcher to have 3+ shots on target at 11/2
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Sheffield Wednesday v Sheffield United (Hillsborough, 1945 GMT, Sky Sports Football)
It has the feel of the biggest Sheffield derby in a number of years given the position of both sides and the time of season.
United are after the title, while a resurgent Wednesday are hopeful of reaching the play-offs after an upturn in results following Steve Bruce's arrival.
The previous two meetings have finished goalless, while the game at Hillsborough at the start of last season saw the Blades come out on top in a six-goal thriller. United will also feel that they should have won the two games at Bramall Lane.
This time is different though. In Bruce, the hosts have a manager who gets what this game is all about. The former United boss knows the passion of the city when it comes to derby day and he'll be eager to win his first as an Owls manager.
Chris Wilder knows that too. "It's a fantastic occasion," Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield, "I know there's been a couple of different opinions from the opposition managers over the last couple of years.
"I think Carlos (Carvalhal) said it's just a game, which I didn't get, and the other guy (Jos Luhukay) said he's played in bigger, which I didn't get even more.
"But Steve's hit the nail on the head, being the man that he is. Being brought up in the north east, and being involved in that. Being involved in Manchester derbies. Being involved in a so-called derby, a Liverpool and Manchester United derby.
"So he gets it, I get it, our supporters get it, their supporters get it, the players get it and it's great to be involved in."
That might give Wednesday the edge. Don't get me wrong, Wilder is a Blade through-and-through and he wants nothing more than to win the derby. Not only for their own title aspirations, but for the bragging rights that come with it.
Wednesday have had the lesser of this game in the past three meetings though and that does probably came down to the attitude of the managers. While Wilder played to the occasion, Luhukay and Carvalhal treated it as just another game.
Bruce will be making his players aware of that. The Blades hit four past them at Hillsborough last season and they'll be wanting to prevent a repeat.
The manager has restored the pride back into the blue side of Sheffield. Luhukay had the fans begging the owners to make a change, Bruce has come in and not only changed their fortunes, but has got the crowd bouncing again.
Wednesday have a decent squad of players. The majority of those who played in the 2016 Sky Bet Championship play-off final, which ended in defeat to Hull, are still at the club while the bench has improved since that day.
One player who wasn't a part of that campaign but has caught the eye in recent games in Steven Fletcher. The striker has netted three goals in his last two outings, but his all-round performances have also been eye-catching.
Wednesday's last two games, home wins over Swansea and Brentford, have seen Fletcher put in shifts worth of the Man of the Match accolade. He had eight shots, four of which were on target, alongside two goals in the win over the Bees last time out.
He also had a lot of success creating chances from open play. Four of the five attempted dribbles were won, while he was also successful in 20 of the 25 aerial duels he played a part in.
It's not just the goals that make Fletcher a good goalscorer bet, but it's the complete striker performances that have come with it. A best price of 5/2 is available on him grabbing a goal anytime, but I'm happy enough to take the 20/1 available on a brace.
Back-to-back braces are incredible difficult for strikers, but the way Fletcher is playing, the evidence is there to support the possibility of the Hillsborough faithful being treated to more goals from the Scotland international.
Even with home advantage, this is a game where the Blades should see more of the ball. They're a side that, on average, enjoy a slight majority in possession per game while Wednesday are the opposite.
However, under Bruce, the Owls have proven to be a side who can win even with less time on the ball. The win over Brentford saw them have 44.2% possession, while the three goals against Swansea came despite that figure standing at 36.6%
You can't deny that United are a side in fantastic form and a win here will show that they are probably a side for automatic promotion. Times are changing at Hillsborough though, and the near 3/1 available on a home victory is more than generous in the circumstances.
Score prediction: Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 Sheffield United (Sky Bet odds: 12/1)
Best bets:
Opta facts
- Each of the last two league meetings between Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United have finished 0-0 – they last played out three consecutive league draws between 1992 and 1993.
- Sheffield United are looking to record back-to-back league wins over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough for the first time since October 1937.
- This is the first league meeting between Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United on a Monday since April 1971 – a 0-0 draw in the second tier.
- Sheffield United have won their last three Championship matches without conceding – they haven’t won four in a row without conceding at this level since December 1969.
- In all competitions, Steve Bruce has won seven of his nine matches against former side Sheffield United (D1 L1), though he lost most recently as Aston Villa manager in September 2018.
- Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp has failed to score in five league appearances against Sheffield Wednesday for the Blades, only facing Charlton Athletic as often without scoring for United (also five games).
Sheffield derby guide
Odds correct at 1150 GMT (04/03/19)
