Sheffield United vs Aston Villa Betting tips

Sheffield United have the chance to pull five points clear of the relegation zone when entertaining Aston Villa at Bramall Lane tonight. Neil Warnock's men have gained vital victories against fellow strugglers Watford and Charlton the last twice, and confidence is high in the squad at present. Midfielders Mikele Leigertwood and Alan Quinn are both back in the mix after missing the Charlton game, but one suspects that this duo will start on the bench as Warnock is likely to opt for the same starting XI that put Charlton to the sword last weekend. Villa boss Martin O'Neill, meanwhile, will probably fill the void left by suspended skipper Gareth Barry with either Wilder Boom or Lloyd Samuel, while veteran striker Chris Sutton looks poised to return to the fray following a three-match absence. The Villains have only won one of their eight away fixtures in the Premiership this season, but as hard as they find it to win on their travels, they are just as hard to beat, having drawn six of the eight matches in question, losing just once, which was at Anfield in October. No disgrace by any means. But O'Neill is looking for a victory from his charges as they have only amassed three points from a possible 12 in their latest quartet of matches, and nine of their overall 16 matches played in the league have ended all square. Those in claret and blue are gaining a reputation as being the draw specialists. Both sides have plenty to play for. Sheff Utd's objective is survival, while Villa are in the European qualification picture at present, and a Uefa Cup spot is attainable if they maintain their consistency, but also just discover that edge which they have lacked on occasions, and why they fail to convert so many draws into victories. The respective goalscoring records of both sides, however, points firmly towards this game being a low scoring affair. I am sure that Sheff Utd will play to win, but they will be mindful that Villa are a stronger side than both Watford and Charlton, so there is bound to be more of an element of caution about them this evening. It's a similar story with Villa. Until they capture that edge which I alluded to earlier, it's hard to see them doing anything spectacular away from Villa Park. This is the sort of game that will be settled by a moment of brilliance, perhaps like Keith Gillespie's strike for United that sank Chalton last week, or maybe the class of Baros or Sutton will shine through and either will emerge as a match-winner. Or, and probably most likely, this match won't be settled at all! Aston Villa are the Premiership recordholders for the amount of stalemates they've played out, but have beaten Sheff Utd on each of the four occasions that they've met in the Premiership. The Blades, on the other hand, have home advantage and momentum behind them, which often proves crucial. However, all things considered, predicting the outcome is too tricky, so 0-1 in the total goals market at 7/4 with Sporting Odds looks the best option. Verdict: 2pts 0-1 in the total goals market @ 7/4 (Sporting Odds)