Sheffield United vs Norwich predictions: Blades can bounce back at Bramall Lane
- Sheffield United have lost just once at home this season
- Norwich have won just one of their last nine away games
- Recommended bet: Sheffield United to win
With Burnley and Sunderland meeting on Friday and leaders Leeds having a tricky game against Sheffield Wednesday, a win for third-place Sheffield United against Norwich could see them end the weekend top of the Championship table.
The Blades are enduring a mini-slump, winning just one of their last five — most recently losing 1-0 in the FA Cup against Cardiff on home soil — but that defeat to the Bluebirds aside, they have been good at Bramall Lane, losing only one of their 12 league matches at the venue (W9, D2).
Norwich also lost in the FA Cup, being humbled 4-0 at home by Brighton, but they won their last away match 1-0 at Luton.
However, that was their first away victory in nine and Chris Wilder's side could grind out another Bramall Lane victory.
Team news
United rotated heavily for their defeat to Cardiff and are expected to recall the likes of Anel Ahmedhodzic, Callum O'Hare and Gustavo Hamer, all of whom were left on the bench last Saturday.
The Canaries will be without the Championship's leading scorer Borja Sainz, who serves the second match of his six-game ban for his December dismissal at Sunderland.
However, he may have missed out anyway given the ongoing rumours regarding his future, with Girona believed to be keen on bringing him to the Estadi Montilivi.
Anis Ben Slimane (leg), Liam Gibbs (hamstring) and Gabe Forsyth (knee) are also absent for the Canaries.
The stats
The Blades are unbeaten in their last eight league games against Norwich.
Norwich have lost just two of their last 10 fixtures against Yorkshire sides, although that run includes a 2-0 defeat at Hillsborough to Sheffield Wednesday in November.
United won nine of their first 10 home league games but have recently lost 2-0 to Burnley and drawn 1-1 with West Brom.
Hamer and Tyrese Campbell are the home team's joint-top scorers with six goals, while Hamer and O'Hare have each provided five assists.
With 15-goal Sainz unavailable, Ante Crnac, Josh Sargent and Marcelino Nunez are Norwich's next-highest scorers with four each, while Sargent, Jack Stacey and Callum Doyle have all provided five assists.
Prediction
Norwich are unbeaten in four in the Championship but were winless in the same number of matches before that and were outclassed by Brighton in the cup.
Inconsistency has been a real issue under Johannes Hoff Thorup and his team's meagre tally of three away victories feels short of what is required to close the four-point gap between themselves and the top six.
The Blades have been better on the road of late, winning three of their last four Championship away games, while their recent wobble aside, they have been rock-solid at home all season and can boost their automatic promotion hopes with a victory.
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