Premier League Picks: Back Aston Villa to Pile on Goals

Aston Villa vs Sheffield United Match Information

• Match: Aston Villa (12-2-3) vs Sheffield United (2-2-13)
• Date/TIme: Friday, Dec. 22, 3:00 pm ET
• Location: Villa Park, Birmingham, England
• Aston Villa vs Sheffield United Live Stream: Fubo.tv

Whilst Aston Villa (12-2-3) find themselves within touching distance of first place, Sheffield United (2-2-13) are rooted to the bottom of the league, six points away from safety. It should come as no surprise that Villa is heavily favored at -500 on our soccer odds as they host Sheffield United on Friday at Villa Park. The game airs at 3 PM ET on USA Network.

Aston Villa vs Sheffield United Odds and Spreads

Aston Villa vs Sheffield United Betting Trends

• Aston Villa have won 15 straight Premier League matches, the longest run in club history.
• Sheffield United have taken 3 points from their last 5 matches, coming in a 1-0 win against Brentford on December 9.
• Sheffield United’s 2-0 loss to Chelsea on Saturday was the third time in their last four matches that they failed to score.
• Aston Villa have scored 37 goals in 17 matches, a figure only bettered by Manchester City (40).
• Sheffield United have avoided defeat away from home just once this season – a 1-1 draw on November 12 which saw them equalize shortly after Brighton fell to 10 men.
• Aston Villa are the only Premier League team to not drop a single point from a winning position this season.
• Unai Emery is the fifth Premier League manager to win 15 straight home matches after Sir Alex Ferguson, Roberto Mancini, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola.
• Sheffield United have scored just four goals on the road and have conceded 22.

Villa to Rack up Goals, Bet Team Total Over 2½ (-114)

It has been a rather tepid return to the English top-flight for Sheffield United, who became the first Premier League team to sack their manager. Chris Wilder took charge after a 5-0 loss to Burnley, replacing Paul Heckingbottom at the helm, and so far, he has overseen 2-0 defeats to Chelsea and Liverpool and a 1-0 win against Brentford.

Our sportsbook is backing Sheffield United to suffer relegation, and one reason has been their leaky defense, conceding 43 goals this season. We’re backing Villa to tear their defense to shreds and enjoy a goal fest against the Blades.

Moneyline Pick: Aston Villa -500

Aston Villa has not dropped points at home since Feb. 18, when they lost 4-2 to Arsenal. They finished atop their Europa Conference League group with 13 points and sit third in the Premier League table, level on 38 points with Liverpool. If Liverpool and Arsenal share the spoils on Saturday and Villa wins, then Unai Emery’s side will be top of the table at Christmas. The Villans are riding high on confidence, and the soccer lines are in their favor to get another victory against the last-placed team in the league.

Ollie Watkins to Score (-140)

Despite entering halftime down 1-0, Aston Villa prevailed with a 2-1 victory at Brentford at the weekend courtesy of Ollie Watkins’ 85th-minute winner. Since Emery’s first match in charge of Villa in November 2022, only Erling Haaland (32) and Mohamed Salah (26) have scored more EPL goals than Watkins (22). As he approaches his 28th birthday, Watkins finds himself in the form of his career, with an astonishing 9 goals and 8 assists in 17 appearances, and we’re backing him to take his tally into double figures against the Blades.

Aston Villa vs Sheffield United Prediction

Aston Villa 4, Sheffield United 1

Question Of The Day

The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.

Aston Villa vs Sheffield United Match Detail