Sheffield United vs Cardiff City prediction, odds, tips & team news
Sheffield United will host Cardiff City in the FA Cup third round on Thursday 9th January at 7pm. Check out our match preview and best bets below.
This clash won’t be the first time the two sides have met in FA Cup action. The two teams reached the FA Cup Final in 1925 as Cardiff City looked to be the first side outside of England to win the prestigious trophy and the Blades looked to win their fourth. Sheffield United came out on top in that clash almost 100 years ago, but Cardiff returned to Wembley just two year later for redemption, beating Arsenal 1-0 to claim their first ever FA Cup win. City’s historic FA Cup victory still remains the only occasion the trophy has been won by a side based outside of England.
Sheffield United to Win (4/5 with BetMGM)
The Blades sit third in the Championship table, just one point behind leaders Leeds United. Cardiff find themselves 23rd, inside the relegation zone, 29 points behind Thursday’s opponents. Despite the fact that both teams expected to make plenty of changes for this cup clash, I’m backing a home win at 4/5.
Sheffield United have performed well in the FA Cup in the last ten years. They reached the quarter-finals in in back-to-back renewals in 2020 and 2021, while they also made it to the semi-finals in 2014 and 2023.
Conversely, the FA Cup has not been kind to Cardiff in recent years. The Bluebirds have won only nine FA Cup ties across the previous 16 seasons, with just one success coming in the past four. Cardiff are three games unbeaten in the league under Omer Riza, but the gap in quality could show on Thursday, and the hosts look good value for the win.
Kieffer Moore to Score 2+ Goals (14/1 with bet365)
Kieffer Moore may have only scored five league goals this season, but I’m taking a punt on him scoring a brace at 14/1. Against no other opponent in his career has Moore scored more goals against than his former club Cardiff.
When the two teams just a few weeks ago, Moore scored both goals in a 2-0 win for the Blades in Wales. He has bagged five goals across his last three appearances against them, with braces for Wigan and Sheffield United.
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How both teams go into Sheffield United vs Cardiff City
Between 1898/99 and 1935/36, Sheffield United appeared in the FA Cup on six occasions, reaching the final five times and winning English football’s premier domestic cup competition three times. Since their last final appearance in 1936, they have not returned to Wembley for the showpiece event, having been eliminated in the semi-finals on six occasions, with the most recent being in the 2022/23 season when Manchester City proved too much for the Blades. In fact, they have made deep runs in recent years, with two other quarter-final appearances in 2019/20 and 2020/21. Last season, they advanced beyond the third round, only to be knocked out by Brighton, who won 5-2 at Bramall Lane.
Winners in 1926/27, it took Cardiff City 81 years to reach their most recent FA Cup final. Unfortunately for them, Portsmouth emerged victorious on that occasion. Since then, Cardiff has faced a series of third-round exits, including last season’s defeat by Sheffield Wednesday. The last time the Welsh side progressed to the fourth round was in the 2021/22 season when they faced Liverpool but were unable to overcome Jürgen Klopp’s team.
Sheffield United team news
As of now, Sheffield United is without Harry Souttar and Oliver Arblaster. Souttar may return, while Arblaster is expected to be out until next season due to a torn cruciate ligament.
Cardiff City team news
Ryotaro Tsunoda, Aaron Ramsey, and Kion Etete are currently unavailable for Cardiff City, and there is no specified date for their return.
Sheffield United vs Cardiff City head-to-head
Sheffield United have won their last five matches against Cardiff City after previously going six games without a victory, which included three losses and three draws.
| Sheffield United vs Cardiff City H2H | |||||||
| Date | Score | Ground | |||||
| 21 Dec 2024 | Cardiff City 0-2 Sheffield United | Cardiff City Stadium | |||||
| 15 Apr 2023 | Sheffield United 4-1 Cardiff City | Bramall Lane | |||||
| 12 Nov 2022 | Cardiff City 0-1 Sheffield United | Cardiff City Stadium | |||||
| 23 Apr 2022 | Sheffield United 1-0 Cardiff City | Bramall Lane | |||||
| 04 Dec 2021 | Cardiff City 2-3 Sheffield United | Cardiff City Stadium | |||||
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