Swansea vs Sheffield United Odds & Prediction – EFL Championship Round 2
- Newly-relegated United travels to beaten playoff finalist Swansea at 3pm ET on Saturday
- Both teams have new coaches in charge and both lost their opening day EFL games
- See all odds, best bets and prediction for Swansea vs Sheffield United – EFL Championship Round 2
Swansea City and Sheffield United both need to kick off their league seasons when they meet in South Wales in England’s EFL Championship on Saturday.
Both teams began the campaign with defeats last weekend.
Welsh outfit Swansea lost 2-1 on the road at Blackburn Rovers, although new striker Jamie Paterson got City’s goal in his full debut.
Newly-relegated Sheffield United, meanwhile, was beaten 1-0 at home by Birmingham City.
Swansea vs Sheffield United Odds
| Matchup | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swansea City vs Sheffield United | SWA +0.5 (-200) | SHE -0.5. (+120) | SWA +215 | SHE +145 | DRAW +220 | Ov 2.5 (+125) | Un 2.5 (-155) |
Odds as of August 14 at DraftKings
Neither side is rated among the leading candidates for promotion to the Premier League.
However, Swansea’s fans hope new coach Russell Martin can make a winning start in his first competitive home match in charge of the team.
Furthermore, Sheffield United also has a new man at the helm.
The Serbian former Watford and Fulham chief Slavisa Jokanovic took charge of the club last May for his third stint in English football.
Jokanovic Has Promotion Pedigree
Certainly, he has the pedigree for the job after winning promotion for both of his former English clubs.
A full house will be present at the Swansea.Com Stadium for the first time in 18 months, with both clubs boasting hugely passionate sets of supporters. The kick-off is at 3pm ET.
In spite of their opening day league defeats, both these teams recorded wins in midweek in the EFL Carabao Cup.
🕗 24 hours to go…
Be loud and proud, #JackArmy.#BeProudToBeAJack 🤍🖤 pic.twitter.com/UI4cYOiWbT
— Swansea City AFC (@SwansOfficial) August 13, 2021
There was a 3-0 win for Swansea away at fellow Championship side Reading in the First Round.
Sheffield United was a 1-0 winner at home against Carlisle United of League Two.
The oddsmakers at DraftKings believe a tight contest is in store on Saturday with Sheffield United favored for an away win at +145.
Meanwhile, Swansea is rated at +215 with the draw at +220.
The draw looks to be good value here.
Last season, Swansea narrowly missed out on promotion when it was beaten 2-0 in the Playoff final by Brentford.
That came after a fourth-place regular-season finish.
Coach Steve Cooper left the club by mutual consent in July.
Swansea vs Sheffield United Statistics
| 0 | Wins | 0 |
| 0 | Draws | 0 |
| 1 | Losses | 1 |
| 1 | Goals | 0 |
| 2 | Goals Against | 1 |
| 2 | Yellow Cards | 1 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 0 | Clean Sheets | 0 |
The hunt for a replacement finally landed upon Russell Martin.
Martin had established an undeniably attractive style of play at MK Dons based on a high degree of possession with intense passing rotation.
This fit with the traditions established at Swansea in recent times by former coaches such as Brendan Rodgers, Michael Laudrup and Roberto Martinez.
Martin has said his Swansea team will undoubtedly maintain that tradition.
He was appointed on August 1. However, the team had already completed its preseason program by then – impressively so.
It won three times in succession against its close League Two neighbors Newport County.
Encouraging Preseason For City
There were also, subsequently, wins by 2-1 against Plymouth Argyle and Forest Green Rovers.
The only defeat, meanwhile, was a 3-1 setback against EPL side Southampton.
'I really liked some of what I saw'
Russell Martin reflects on his first game in charge of Swansea City as his side were defeated by Blackburn Rovers
👉 https://t.co/zuqH8e59n1 pic.twitter.com/0z0kYFfWgE
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) August 7, 2021
There has been a massive turnover of players since Cooper’s departure. No fewer than 18 new players have been signed this summer. Additionally, a further 14 have left the club.
So it will take some time for Martin’s philosophies to take root among the squad.
Among those to leave was striker Andre Ayew, who had16 goals last season but has now joined Qatari club Al Sadd.
New United coach Jokanovic also has a reputation for creating attacking play – with his Fulham side, in particular, noted for its swift transitions from defense to attack.
The team finished bottom of the EPL last season with just seven wins.
That struggle led to the departure of coach Chris Wilder in March – with Paul Heckingbottom in temporary charge for the rest of the campaign.
Jovanović has yet to make any major moves in the transfer market.
Furthermore, the team managed just two preseason friendlies.
Getting ready for Swansea. ⚫️ pic.twitter.com/7SgIKkk6BV
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) August 13, 2021
There was a 3-0 win against Gibraltar-based Europa Point FC. Then came a 4-0 defeat of Doncaster Rovers.
However, the new coach will have been pleased to see former Liverpool striker Rhiann Brewster score his first goal for the club in the cup win against Carlisle after 10 months of trying.
There have been three straight wins for Swansea most recently in this fixture – with the last meeting a 1-0 win in the Championship in January, 2019.
However, to sum up, a draw looks most likely this time around with both teams just getting going under new coaches.
Pick: Draw (+220)
John Dillon is a leading member of the UK's sporting media, having spent three decades as a national newspaper soccer and sports writer, broadcaster and author. He has covered five World Cups, six European Championships and was Chief Sports Writer at the Daily Express for 14 years.
