Tottenham Hotspur v Sheffield United: Time to Sharpen up Against the Blades

by Matthew Harris · Published 30th April 2021 · Updated 30th April 2021

The worst thing any team can do at a cup final is not turn up. Not literally of course but there were times on Sunday when it felt like Spurs might not have bothered travelling to Wembley.

While some of us will be keen for another difficult season to come to an end, there are things to play for and the aim now is to finish inside the European places. Next up are a Sheffield United side who have been rooted to the bottom of the table for most of the season so can we capitalise despite our own issues?

The game kicks off on Sunday evening at 7.15pm and here’s our regular match preview during which we will try to remain upbeat.

Team News

There isn’t too much to report in this section. Matt Doherty returned to training in the week and may make the matchday squad if he passes a late fitness test. There doesn’t, however, appear to be any news relating to Ben Davies and we’ll therefore assume that he’ll sit this one out.

Harry Kane started the Wembley final following his ankle scare although his fitness was debatable. The manager will clearly want to start him if possible but this might just be the kind of game where Ryan Mason feels he can put our main striker on the bench.

Match Odds

Spurs’ poor outing at Wembley and Sheffield United’s victory over Brighton last time out have had little effect on the match result betting. Tottenham go in as hot favourites and the home win is currently available at best odds of 17/50 with Novibet.

The draw follows at 19/4 with 10Bet and MansionBet while victory for Sheffield United is out at 10/1 with BetFred and GentingBet. The Blades have picked up just 17 points from 33 matches and that 1-0 win against Graham Potter’s Brighton ended a run of six straight defeats.

Sheffield United’s poor run of form and their overall season has shaped this market but the visitors will be hopeful of an upset against a team with its own issues. Tottenham will hopefully forget about the Wembley no-show and take some confidence from their previous league match. A 2-1 win over Southampton got Ryan Mason’s temporary tenure off to a winning start and we simply must use any momentum to take advantage of the division’s bottom club.

Side Markets

The bookmakers expect Harry Kane to play a full part in Sunday’s match and our main striker is favourite to open the scoring at best odds of 47/20 with Unibet. Son Heung-Min is next at a top price of 19/5 with Unibet again while Carlos Vinicius is further back at a best of 4/1 with BetFred.

Tottenham players dominate the early numbers with Gareth Bale quoted at best odds of 9/2 with VBet. Dele Alli is next up at a top price of 7/1 with Betway while Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn can both be backed at a best of 8/1 with MansionBet and 888Sport.

Harry Kane

The first name from a Sheffield United point of view is that of Lys Mousset who is quoted at best odds of 13/1 with Unibet. In a difficult season for his club, French under 21 international Mousset has yet to score in his first 12 games in 2020/21.

Moving on to team bets now and our regular Both Teams to Score pick is quoted for Sunday at best odds of 5/4 with SportNation. We don’t see this market hit Even Money very often and that figure is largely based on Sheffield United’s issues in front of goal.

The potential for some interesting odds is also carried over into the Total Goals markets. Staking Over the 2.5 line remains relatively short, however, with VBet quoting just 7/10. If we push that to Over 3.5, SportNation have listed odds of 9/5.

That just leaves the Correct Score betting and anyone looking at a share of the points can claim best odds of 12/1 with SportNation. Some neutral sites are tipping a 2-0 home win which is quoted at 51/10 with Novibet while a 1-0 victory for Sheffield United is on offer at a best of 25/1 with SportNation again.

Last Season

We weren’t the only side to struggle against Sheffield United in 2019/20 as the Blades threatened the Europa League places for much of the campaign. We lost 3-1 at Bramall Lane after Project Restart while the corresponding home fixture ended in a dour 1-1 draw.

After a goalless first half, Son Heung-Min opened the scoring for Spurs on 58 minutes after capitalizing on a mistake in the United defence. George Baldock equalised 12 minutes from time and that’s pretty much all there is to say about a forgettable game. Mauricio Pochettino was sacked ten days later and the Mourinho era was about to begin.

Verdict

It’s been tough to know what to expect from this Spurs team across the entire season but it’s especially difficult to predict Sunday’s game. The temporary Ryan Mason era began positively enough with three points against Southampton. The result may have been ground out but we were missing Harry Kane and all teams involved in the proposed European Super League were turning in subdued performances at that time.

The poor display at Sunday’s Cup Final is the most worrying sign. Are players focused on finishing inside the European places or will they be just as ineffective as they were at Wembley? The game should certainly define how we will likely to play in the run in so let’s get behind them, even if it is via the comfort of a Sky Sports subscription.

We don’t expect too many goals in this encounter. We aren’t at our sharpest and Sheffield United have scored just twice in their last five matches. Under 2.5 goals looks to be a good option in that case and it’s our first tip at 6/5 with VBet.

Both Teams to Score isn’t certain but we could see a response from Sheffield United now that their relegation has been rubber stamped. They overcame Brighton and should, at the very least, be capable of finding Spurs’ net.

As for a goal scorer, it’s a tough one. Lucas Moura is one of our favoured picks and this could be the type of game where he comes alive and makes a mark. However, he may not start so we’ll just take the Brazilian for a goal in 90 minutes.

Let’s just hope for a lift both from the result and the overall performance. It’s been a tough season but we can still sign off with some hope for the future.