The EFL Play-Offs get underway, with the Championship taking centre stage as Bristol City and Sheffield United lock horns at Ashton Gate.
EFL Championship
Our Three Predictions For Bristol City vs Sheffield United:
- First Prediction For Bristol City vs Sheffield United: Match Result – Bristol City – 81/50
- Second Prediction For Bristol City vs Sheffield United: Under 1.5 Goals – 7/5
- Third Prediction For Bristol City vs Sheffield United: First-Half Result – Draw – 9/10
First Prediction For Bristol City vs Sheffield United: Match Result – Bristol City – 81/50
Neither side come into the Play-Offs in particularly good form. While Bristol City are winless in three games, Sheffield United have lost four of the last seven. But throughout the campaign, only the top three have a better home record than the Robins, losing only three times at Ashton Gate. Meanwhile, the Blades sit second in the away standings, winning thirteen of their 23 encounters on the road. But in their last five second-tier Play-Off away games, United have been victorious only once, coming in their last such match at Nottingham Forest three years ago. That game, though, ended in a penalty shoot-out defeat, and while the Blades won’t experience that heartbreak on Thursday evening, expect them to return to S2 needing to overturn a first-leg deficit.
Second Prediction For Bristol City vs Sheffield United: Under 1.5 Goals – 7/5
First-leg Play-Off games tend to be low-scoring affairs. Last year in the second tier, both ties ended goalless at the halfway stage of the tie, with eight goals spread equally across the two second-leg fixtures. Neither of these sides were particularly high-scoring during the regular season, managing 59 and 63 in Sheffield United’s favour. But in defence, there is a clear winner, as the Blades shipped just 36 goals, with only nineteen away from home. Bristol City had conceded 55, but expect a resolute defensive performance from both in a nervy first-leg in two days’ time.
Third Prediction For Bristol City vs Sheffield United: First-Half Result – Draw – 9/10
It may come as some surprise to find Bristol City sixteenth in the first-half standings, at least to those who aren’t familiar with the Robins. Leading just eleven times at the interval, Liam Manning’s side have been locked in a stalemate on 20 occasions after the opening 45 minutes this term. The Blades have trailed only seven times going into the second period, drawing nineteen of their first halves. It would be no surprise to see this game finish goalless when the half-time whistle blows on Thursday evening.
Best Odds For Bristol City vs Sheffield United
| Bookmaker | Bristol City | Draw | Sheffield United |
| MyriadPlay | 81/50 | 19/10 | 17/10 |
| Gentleman Jim | 7/4 | 19/10 | 7/4 |
| Betarno | 17/10 | 19/10 | 13/8 |
The table above shows the latest odds from leading football betting websites.
Full Preview Of The Game: Last Results And Head-To-Head:
Bristol City had a very impressive run towards the end of the campaign to secure their Play-Off place, though they were winless in their last three regular-season games. It looked like the Robins were heading for a third loss in a row when Preston North End led by two at Ashton Gate on Saturday. But Ross McCrorie netted a brace in the space of five second-half minutes to snatch a point and a place in the top six, though they lost an ‘easier’ tie against Sunderland as Coventry finish fifth. In their penultimate encounter at Elland Road, Liam Manning’s outfit were outclassed by the eventual champions Leeds United, while Luton Town defeated them over the Easter period. But prior to that, City have enjoyed a very successful April period, winning three games by a scoreline of two one. Opening the month by defeating Watford, Haydon Roberts scored a last-gasp winner against West Bromwich Albion for a second home win in four days. That latter result was particularly imperative, as the Baggies were a top-six rival at that point.
Dropped points in the capital at Queens Park Rangers may have appeared to be a disappointing result, but in a topsy-turvy encounter, it was a point gained for the South-West side. But on Good Friday, Bristol City returned to winning ways against a fellow Play-Off outfit: Sunderland. While Hume was dismissed for the visitors very early on, Mayenda gave the Black Cats the lead in a surprising yet stunning manner. Rob Dickie scored a very different but equally impressive equaliser for the home side, before McCrorie netted the eventual winner with fourteen minutes to play. That was the Robins’ last three-point haul of the season, but they can take plenty from a superb second half of the campaign, in which they had a run of one loss in twelve encounters.
While not in the same manner as Sunderland, Sheffield United have limped into the Play-Offs. Chris Wilder’s outfit were in the running for automatic promotion a mere five weeks ago, but their ambitions came crashing down in a dismal April. A run of three successive defeats came from nowhere, and was even more shocking after they produced one of their best performances of the season against Coventry City. Against the Sky Blues, United moved top of the Championship after their Friday night display, running out three-one winners. But after losing at Oxford United the following weekend, just hours after Leeds United dropped points at Luton Town, things got even worse against Millwall in midweek. Despite Burnley failing to win at Derby County on the same evening, the Blades did not have the same luck when both promotion rivals were victorious, and they lost again at Plymouth Argyle.
By the time their Good Friday clash with Cardiff City came around, their two rivals were closing in on the Premier League. While the South Yorkshire outfit did put an end to the losing run with a victory over the Bluebirds, defeat at Turf Moor on Easter Monday was enough to promote the Clarets and Leeds. Wilder made a few alterations ahead of their trip to Stoke City in the penultimate game of the season, recording a comfortable win in Staffordshire. Just last Saturday, the Blades held Blackburn Rovers to a draw, in a result which ended the visitors’ hopes of a top six spot and means that they will face Bristol City in the Semi-Finals.
Neither side have a particularly good record in the end-of-season competition. While Bristol City have won promotion once from their six attempts, Sheffield United are statistically the worst side in Play-Off history. No side in the EFL have lost more campaigns (9) without being victorious, losing four finals without ever scoring a goal in the showpiece event. But they will be buoyed by their very good record against City, winning five of the last seven games and 34 to the Robins’ sixteen victories since the first meeting in 1904. Mark Sykes scored the late leveller for Bristol City in the last meeting two months ago, after Tyrese Campbell had given United the lead.
Confrontation08/05/2025 Championship Championship 
Bristol City 
Sheffield Utd 0 3 11/03/2025 Championship Championship
Sheffield United
Bristol City 1 1 05/11/2024 Championship Championship
Bristol City
Sheffield United 1 2 18/04/2023 Championship Championship
Sheffield United
Bristol City 1 0 01/11/2022 Championship Championship
Bristol City
Sheffield United 0 1 Last Results - Bristol City
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Where To Watch Bristol City vs Sheffield United:
Where can I watch the game, either on TV or in person?
- Location: Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol
- Date: 8th May, 2025
- TV Channel: Sky Sports Football & Main Event
Probable Lineups For Bristol City vs Sheffield United:
Predicted Bristol City Lineup:
- Lineup: O’Leary, Vyner, Dickie, Roberts, McCrorie, Knight, Williams, Hirakawa, Twine, Bird, Wells
- Suspended/Injured: McNally, Sykes, Pring, Benarous
- Coach: Liam Manning
Predicted Sheffield United Lineup:
- Lineup: Cooper, Burrows, Robinson, Ahmedhodžić, Choudhury, Souza, Peck, Hamer, O’Hare, Rak-Sakyi, Campbell
- Suspended/Injured: Holding, Shackleton, Arblaster
- Coach: Chris Wilder
