Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United prediction, odds: 2023 English Premier League picks, best bets for Dec. 22

Aston Villa will try to avoid a major slip-up Friday when they host Sheffield United in an English Premier match at Villa Park. The Villans (12-2-3) have been one of the league’s hottest sides and sit third in the Premier League table. They are on a nine-match unbeaten run in all competitions and are even on points with Liverpool and one behind league leader Arsenal. Sheffield (2-2-13) are last in the EPL table and have work to do to avoid relegation. They are six points from safety and have been outscored 12-2 in losing four of their past five. 

Friday’s kickoff in Birmingham, England, is set for 3 p.m. ET. The latest Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United odds list the Villans as -550 favorites (risk $550 to win $100). The Blades are +1100 underdogs, a draw is priced at +650 and the over/under for total goals scored is 3.5. Before locking in any Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United picks, you need to see what proven SportsLine soccer insider Jon “Buckets” Eimer has to say.

Eimer is a high-volume bettor who has vast knowledge of leagues and players across the globe. Since joining SportsLine, he has covered the English Premier League, Serie A, the FA Cup and much more. Since the end of last year’s Men’s World Cup, Eimer has been red-hot on English Premier League picks, going 85-53-5 for a profit of more than $3,900 for $100 bettors. Overall, he is 244-219-11 (+37.57) on soccer picks over that span. Anyone following him is way up.

Now, Eimer has broken down Sheffield United vs. Aston Villa from every angle and just revealed his picks and EPL predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see Eimer’s picks. Here are the betting lines and trends for Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United:

• Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United spread: Villa -1.5 (-180)
• Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United over/under: 3.5 goals
• Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United money line: Villa -550, Sheffield +1100, Draw +650
• AVL: Have scored at least twice in six of their past nine EPL matches.
• SHF: Eight of their past nine losses have been by at least two goals.
• Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why you should back Aston Villa

The Villans have been racking up goals, so they should be able to exploit a Blades backline that has yielded 43 in 17 matches. Sheffield have scored just 13, with their minus-31 goal differential 11 goals worse than 19th-place Burnley. Villa are plus-16, with their 37 goals scored second-most in the league. Five Villa players have scored at least three goals, while Sheffield doesn’t have a player with more than two. Ollie Watkins leads the Villans with nine goals, fifth-most in the Premier League.     

Watkins, Leon Bailey (five goals), Douglas Luiz (five) and Moussa Diaby (three) are a handful for even the best teams in the EPL. Captain John McGinn (four goals, two assists) won’t allow the side to take it easy in a match they know they should win. Aston Villa are the only EPL side to win every home game so far in 2023-24, going 8-0-0 and outscoring visitors 25-5. Sheffield United are 0-1-7 on the road, with a 22-4 goal deficit. See which team to pick here.

Why you should back Sheffield United

The Blades’ best hope is that the Villans are worn down as they play their third match in eight days. The hosts drew 1-1 with an inferior Zrinjski Mostar side in the Europa League last Thursday. Villa could take Sheffield lightly, and the Blades have won twice in their past seven matches after starting the season 0-1-9. They took a 1-0 victory two weeks ago against Brentford, a team Villa beat 2-1 on Sunday. James McAtee had the goal to become the sixth player to score for Sheffield this season.  

The teams have met four times in the top flight since 2019, and the Blades are 2-1-1. Aston Villa have won just twice (2-3-4) in the past nine meetings in all competitions, dating to 2014. Gustavo Hamer, Oliver McBurnie and Cameron Archer all have scored twice for Sheffield, who have scored the fewest goals in the EPL and conceded the most. The Blades lead the league in blocks (244), diverting an EPL-high 169 passes, and are fourth in the EPL in tackles (330), so they could frustrate the hosts. See which team to pick here.

How to make Sheffield United vs. Aston Villa picks

Eimer has broken down Friday’s Premier League match from every possible angle and is leaning Over on the goal total. He also has locked in a pair of confident best bets while offering a full breakdown of this EPL match. He’s sharing his Premier League picks and analysis only at SportsLine.

So who wins Sheffield United vs. Aston Villa on Friday, and where does all the betting value lie? Visit SportsLine now to see which wagers in Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United have all the value, all from the soccer expert who is up more than 39 units on EPL picks since last year’s Men’s World Cup, and find out.

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