
Nottingham Forest vs. Sheffield United Betting Tips: Two data-driven picks for Friday Night Football

Nottingham Forest host Sheffield United in the first match of match day two in the Premier League. It may be early in the season but this could be a good indicator in the battle against relegations this season. We've got Scott Thornton in the tipping to hot-seat to provide a preview of the game, along with his two best bets.
Steve Cooper’s side looked doomed in stages last season. Nevertheless, the team rallied at the crucial moments and were able to remain in the top flight. They wound up finishing 16th, four points above the drop zone.
Forest put in a spirited display last weekend when they took on Arsenal at the Emirates. They were outclassed in the first half but managed to create some decent opportunities despite seeing very little of the ball. They were eventually beaten 2-1 but the character shown by the players will leave the Forest faithful feeling optimistic about the season ahead.
Sheffield United’s opening game afforded them no such luxury. They were beaten 1-0 at home by Crystal Palace and were on the back foot for large periods of the game. The loss of Iliman Ndiaye has left many Blades fans wondering where the goals are going to come from.
Paul Heckingbottom will be without Fleck, Brewster, Bogle and Coulibaly. Ollie McBurnie is also a doubt for Frida night’s clash. Richards and Felipe are absent for the home side.
Nottingham Forest vs Sheffield United Tips
These sides last met in the Championship. That season, Forest beat Sheffield United away from home and vice versa. A lot has changed since then for both sides. Sheffield United impressed last season as they finished 2nd in the Championship. Forest are now looking to cement their place as a Premier League side over the coming seasons.
Nottingham Forest had just 22% possession against Arsenal but they displayed cutting edge when they did have the chance to attack. They missed a golden opportunity to take the lead and ended the game with a superior xG to Arsenal despite having just six attempts.
They will have far more possession here and their creative players should get the opportunity to show what they can do. The likes of Morgan Gibbs-White, Brennan Johnson, Danilo and Anthony Elanga have the skill to run at their opponents and they will be relishing the opportunity to strut their stuff in front of a packed out home crowd. Forest averaged just 10.21 shots per home game in the league last season but expect that number to climb in this clash.
Sheffield United were overrun at home to Crystal Palace last weekend. They had just 22% possession and failed to create anything of significance. What would be an even greater worry was how many chances they conceded. Roy Hodgson’s side had 24 shots, eight of those found the target.
We are also adding Morgan Gibbs-White to have a shot on target in the match. He looks set to play as a number 10 and he will find space to pull the trigger in that position. He averaged 0.7 shots on target per 90 minutes last season but Forest seldom enjoyed the lion share of possession as they should here.
For our longer odds bet, we are backing Forest shots again. Their numbers last season were well below what is required for this bet to land but the opposition plays a crucial part.
Sheffield United really struggled to get to grips with last week's game and I’m expecting more of the same in their first away match of the campaign. Crystal Palace hit this mark with ease so I’m backing Forest to do the same.

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