The early kick-off on Saturday is a Yorkshire derby as Sheffield United take on Leeds. Tom Carnduff picks out three best bets.
Recommended bets
1pt Kemar Roofe to be shown a card at 11/1
1pt Liam Cooper to be shown a card at 11/2
3pts Barry Douglas to have 1+ shots at 5/6
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Sheffield United v Leeds (Bramall Lane, 1230 GMT, Sky Sports Main Event)
It's a Yorkshire derby to kick off Saturday's footballing action, and it should be a game filled with goals given the teams involved.
Sheffield United and Leeds have both caught the eye this season not just because of their position in the league, but the fact that they like to attack and have been scoring goals.
Both sides are in decent form too, with Leeds winning three of their last four and Sheffield United unbeaten in their last three, they also beat Brentford last time out.
This fixture was one filled with cards last season, with a total of 13 yellows across the two meetings. The Blades' were 2-1 winners on both occasions.
Oliver Langford is the referee here, and while he may not be the strictest, he has shown at least three yellow cards in four of his last seven Championship games.
Given the occasion and the teams involved, I'm predicting around five cards to be dished out by the man in the middle.
My attention was caught by the prices on offer for two players, and let's start with Kemar Roofe who is available at a huge 11/1 to go into the referee's book.
The Leeds forward has already been shown two yellow cards this season, those coming in tricky away ties at Swansea and Blackburn. He has also committed the fifth-highest amount of fouls in this Leeds squad, and it is worth remembering that he missed six games due to injury.
This should be a game played at high intensity, which puts any player on the pitch at risk of picking up a card, regardless of their position.
It could also be a busy afternoon for Liam Cooper, although the Whites centre-back has been exceptional in recent weeks. He'll have the task of dealing with Billy Sharp, David McGoldrick and Leon Clarke up front, with Chris Basham and Jack O'Connell providing threats from defence.
He sits fifth for fouls committed, one spot above Roofe, and has been shown one yellow up to this point. Last season was one filled with cards for the defender though with six yellows and two reds on his final tally.
I like the look of the 5/6 available on Barry Douglas to have 1+ shots on goal too, with the Whites full-back a real threat down their left-hand side.
It's important to remember that it doesn't have to be on target for this bet to land. Sheffield United sit in the top-six for shots against them from their right side, while the move up to third for shots against from the right at home.
Leeds are in the top seven for attacks down their left side, the figure standing considerably higher than attacks down the middle.
This should see Douglas heavily involved in the attacks, and while he hasn't scored this season, he has had opportunities to grab his first goal for the club.
Douglas is also a threat for Leeds from set-pieces, and free-kicks won in distance from goal should see him try his luck to score.
Score prediction: Sheffield United 2-2 Leeds (Sky Bet odds: 12/1)
Best bets:
Opta facts
- Sheffield United have lost just one of their last 11 matches against Leeds in all competitions (W7 D3), a 0-1 defeat in September 2010 in the Championship at Elland Road.
- Leeds haven’t won at Bramall Lane since April 1992, during the season they won the top-flight title – they are winless in eight games since (D2 L6).
- Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp has scored six goals in his last four league appearances against Leeds – one more than he managed in 33 games for the Whites during the 2014-15 season (five goals).
- Leeds have scored at least once in each of their last 10 away league games – they haven’t scored in 11 such games consecutively since August 2001 while in the Premier League (12 games).
- Sheffield United are currently unbeaten in eight league games at Bramall Lane (W5 D4); they haven’t gone longer without defeat there in a single season since March 2014 while in the third tier.
- Leeds United’s Pablo Hernández has scored four goals in his last five away league games, as many as he had netted in his previous 49 on the road.
Odds correct at 1655 GMT (29/11/18)
