Sheffield Utd vs Birmingham
Sheffield Utd and Birmingham share the spoils
A goalless stalemate keeps both sides waiting for a breakthrough.
Sheffield United and Birmingham played out a 0-0 draw in the Championship, with neither side able to find the net. The match defied Fipster's low-confidence prediction of a narrow home win, leaving both teams to settle for a point in a tight contest.
Analysis
The new season kicks off with Sheffield Utd facing Birmingham in what promises to be a competitive encounter. Both teams will be eager to start their campaigns on a positive note, setting the tone for the weeks ahead.
This match marks the first round of the regular season in league 40. Sheffield Utd currently sit 15th in the league standings with no points from zero games, while Birmingham are positioned at the top, also yet to play. Historically, their head-to-head meetings have been fairly balanced, with Sheffield Utd winning 3 of 12 matches, Birmingham 4, and 5 draws. The average goals per game in these encounters is 2.3, indicating a moderately open contest.
The prediction model suggests a home win for Sheffield Utd with a 2-1 scoreline, reflecting the highest probability among home win outcomes. Although the overall probabilities for home wins, draws, and away wins are quite close, the 2-1 result stands out as the most likely individual scoreline. The halftime score remains uncertain, with no strong indication favouring either side. Sheffield Utd will need to capitalise on their home advantage and break down Birmingham's defence, while Birmingham will look to leverage their top league position to challenge the hosts.
Prediction
Expect Sheffield Utd to edge this one 2-1. The home side should manage to find the net twice, just enough to overcome Birmingham's efforts. Four cards are predicted in total, suggesting a competitive but not overly aggressive match.
Outcome probability
Key Takeaways
In summary, Sheffield Utd are tipped to start their season with a narrow victory over Birmingham. Fans can anticipate a closely fought game with goals from both sides and a few bookings to keep things spicy. A 2-1 scoreline seems the most fitting outcome for this opener.
- Sheffield Utd have won 3 of 12 head-to-head matches against Birmingham.
- Birmingham have won 4 of their 12 head-to-head meetings with Sheffield Utd.
- There have been 5 draws in their 12 previous encounters.
- Head-to-head matches average 2.3 goals per game.
- Sheffield Utd are currently 15th in the league with 0 points from 0 games.
- Birmingham are currently 1st in the league with 0 points from 0 games.
- The predicted total number of cards in the match is 4.
Player Insights
Standout players Fipster expects to impact the match — curated highlights, not full squad lists
Home — Sheffield Utd
No standout best passers flagged for Sheffield Utd
Away — Birmingham
Form as the teams went into this match — excludes this result and anything since.
Team Comparison
Season shape — attack, defence, form, clean sheets & win rate
Season comparison
Goals scored & conceded, goal difference and clean sheets across the season
Halftime Performance
What each side does once the whistle goes for half time
Streaks
Recent-form runs — each side’s most-recent game meets in the middle
Head to Head
Donovan
Cannon
Rothwell
Stansfield
Bamford
McCallum
Paik Seung-Ho
Priske
Vicente
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Wolves | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +5 | 7 |
| 7 |  West Brom | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 6 |
| 8 |  Birmingham | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | +1 | 5 |
| 9 |  Watford | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | +1 | 5 |
| 13 |  Cardiff | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 14 |  Sheffield Utd | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 15 |  West Ham | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 2 |
Match Statistics
Sheffield Utd
4-2-2-2Starting XI
- 1M. CooperG
- 3S. McCallumD
- 5J. TangangaD
- 7J. RothwellM
- 9T. CannonF
- 10C. O'HareM
- 11R. DonovanM
- 25M. McGuinnessD
- 38F. SerikiD
- 42Sydie PeckM
- 45P. BamfordF
Substitutes
- 2M. DohertyD
- 4O. ArblasterM
- 14H. BurrowsD
- 17A. DaviesG
- 19T. ChongM
- 23T. CampbellF
- 26R. OnéF
- 44J. RiedewaldM
Birmingham
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 1J. BeadleG
- 4C. KlarerD
- 5P. NeumannD
- 7Carlos VicenteM
- 8Paik Seung-HoM
- 9A. PriskeF
- 14J. SolisM
- 20A. CochraneD
- 24T. IwataM
- 26B. Osayi-SamuelD
- 28J. StansfieldM
Substitutes
- 2E. LairdD
- 10D. GrayF
- 16P. RobertsM
- 18M. BirdM
- 21R. AllsopG
- 23D. FryD
- 25K. LundD
- 27K. FujimotoM
- 32L. VázquezF
Sheffield Utd
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Cooper | G | 92 | 7.9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sam McCallum | D | 78 | 7.5 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2/2 |
| Japhet Tanganga(C) | D | 92 | 7.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mark McGuinness | D | 92 | 7.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Femi Seriki | D | 92 | 7.0 | — | — | — | — | — | 1/3 |
| Sydie Peck | M | 92 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/2 |
| Callum O'Hare | M | 92 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2/2 |
| Romelle Donovan | M | 60 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | — | 2/4 |
| Joe Rothwell | M | 67 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Thomas Cannon | F | 60 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| Patrick Bamford | F | 77 | 6.2 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Adam Davies | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jaïro Riedewald | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Matt Doherty | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oliver Arblaster | M | 25 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan One | F | 15 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| Harrison Burrows | D | 14 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tyrese Campbell | F | 32 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tahith Chong | M | 32 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Birmingham
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Cochrane | D | 92 | 7.3 | — | — | — | — | 3 | — |
| Jhon Solís | M | 92 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2/2 |
| Phil Neumann | D | 92 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Christoph Klarer(C) | D | 92 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bright Osayi-Samuel | D | 92 | 6.9 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2/2 |
| Tomoki Iwata | M | 92 | 6.9 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 0/1 |
| August Priske | F | 87 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jay Stansfield | M | 74 | 6.5 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 0/3 |
| Seung Ho Paik | M | 80 | 6.2 | — | — | 3 | — | 1 | — |
| James Beadle | G | 92 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Carlos Vicente | M | 87 | 6.0 | — | — | — | — | — | 1/1 |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Kristoffer Lund | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Patrick Roberts | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ethan Laird | D | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0/2 |
| Dael Fry | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan Allsop | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Luis Vázquez | F | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kanya Fujimoto | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Demarai Gray | F | 18 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Max Bird | M | 12 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | 1/1 |