Sheffield United vs Wrexham Prediction and Betting Tips: Blades backed to progress in EFL Cup
Sheffield United and Wrexham will meet in the first round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday with both teams looking to build on positive results from the opening weekend of the season.
The Blades, who were relegated from the Premier League last term, began life back in the Championship with a 2-0 victory away at Preston, while League One new boys Wrexham edged an entertaining clash with Wycombe 3-2.
That should set things up nicely for this cup clash which will kick-off at 20:00 on Tuesday 13th August at Bramall Lane, with the match being shown in full on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football
Sheffield United vs Wrexham Predictions
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United were relegated with barely a whimper last season, picking up just three wins and 16 points as they finished bottom of the pile, while they conceded a Premier League record 104 goals for good measure as well.
Chris Wilder has had a job on galvanising his squad over the summer, but the early signs are good after the Blades opened the new season by winning away at Preston thanks to goals from Ollie Arblaster and Gustavo Hamer.
Wrexham are no strangers to success, as they have achieved back-to-back promotions across the last two seasons under their Hollywood owners and they showed no signs of needing time to adjust to League One following their victory over Wycombe.
This clash with Championship opposition will mark another step up for Phil Parkinson's side and they will likely need to be at their best if they are to pull off a shock.
It certainly feels like United are over last season's struggles, as an unbeaten pre-season campaign was followed by their 2-0 win at Preston, although do not be fooled by the clean sheet they obtained at Deepdale.
Preston had more shots than the Blades during the contest, with eight of their 12 efforts coming inside the penalty area, statistics that perhaps suggests Wilder's team rode their luck on their way to a first competitive shutout since January.
There is no quick fix to a defence that conceded 104 goals in last season's top-flight and United's backline is likely to be tested by a Wrexham side who have scored 20 times across their last six competitive games, including the three they struck against Wycombe.
The Red Dragons have also won each of those six games, but none have come against a side at Championship level or above.
Despite it being more than 40 years since these two teams last met in a league fixture, they have clashed twice in cup competition over recent years, locking horns in the FA Cup fourth round in 2023.
Then National League Wrexham took the Blades to a replay after a 3-3 draw at the Racecourse Ground before United’s extra quality told in the replay, as they triumphed 3-1, a scoreline that could be replicated on Tuesday.
The last two meetings between these sides at Bramall Lane have finished 3-1 to the hosts and, although Wrexham are likely to be competitive, a two-goal margin of success would not be a surprise for the hosts.
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