Wrexham vs Sheffield United: Big Bet Preview
Credit: Luke Broughton
Wrexham vs Sheffield United
(SAT 26 Dec, 17:30pm UK - Sky Sports)
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! While the rest of the nation sits down with their family watching films and eating leftover turkey, a select few of us will be bounding out of bed in our new club-branded pyjamas on the morning of the 26th desperate to see how our team gets on. Nothing says Christmas like Boxing Day football, and the Championship has served up a full helping of twelve matches to sink your teeth into this year. The last game of the day sees a resurgent Sheffield United cross the border to visit Disney’s own Wrexham in front of the cameras, and they’re this weeks’ Big Bet!
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The Championship is a funny old beast. Sheffield United looked doomed until they fired up the Bat-Signal and ushered in Chris Wilder’s eighteenth term as Blades manager. Now they’ve put some distance between themselves and the dreaded bottom three they’re daring to look up the table and dream. If they do somehow make it to the top six by May, it would be akin to a Christmas miracle.
The Red Dragons haven’t taken to the second tier as easily as they did after the last two promotions, but for a side that was in non-league three Christmases ago they’re going steady and are well clear of the relegation zone.
The hosts and the visitors were both making eyes at a promotion charge in pre-season, we’ve made it to Christmas and neither have quite lived up to expectations. Could this Boxing Day fixture knock some sense into the winners and see them fly up the table in 2026?
Form
Sheffield United have been on a tear since they lost at Coventry at the start of November. Two draws, five wins and just one loss in their proceeding eight games isa fantastic turnaround from their early-season meltdown. Chris Wilder, eh? The only blemish on their record was a disappointing loss at West Brom, otherwise they have been free-scoring - netting 3 or more goals in 5 of their last 7 outings. If Wrexham want to have any hope of winning, they’ll need to be resolute at the back and weather the Blades’ relentless attack.
Wrexham have made themselves tricky to beat, but have also struggled to convert draws into wins as of late. Just two losses in their last nine league games is great going, but they’ve also only hit maximum points twice in this period. The rest have been five draws and they’ve only scored more than one goal in two of their last nine games. Their issue is clear, find the net more and you’ll win more. This is the sort of expert analysis you don’t get anywhere else
The 15th best home side take on the 14th best away team. It doesn’t get much tougher to call than this week’s Big Bet!
Head-to-head
Not loads to go on here! As you’ll know, these two have been separated by as many as four divisions at points in recent years, only meeting occasionally if the magic of the cup sprinkles itself in the right direction.
Luckily, they have drawn each other in both the League Cup and FA Cup over the last two years, with the FA Cup game going to a replay. We have three games to sort of go on, but the clubs were still in different divisions at the time.
The first FA Cup game ended 3-3 with a 95th minute Blades equaliser. The replay finished in a 3-1 Sheffield United win with both winning goals coming in the 94th and 96th minute and the League Cup match wound up as a 4-2 win, again for the Blades.
If there’s anything to read into here, there will be goals goals goals and late drama. What a Christmas treat this could be.
For those interested, the last time Wrexham won this fixture was in the Sherpa Vans Trophy in January 1989. Oh what a night.
Key Battle
Ben Sheaf vs Callum O’Hare
Callum O’Hare has been an unlikely hero for Sheffield United this year. After a lacklustre first season, he seemed to be the only one trying and single-handedly dragged the club to a few points in the early days this season. He has continued his good form as the team around him have improved and needs just one goal or assist to better his tally from 47 games last season already. Finally, O’Hare is showing the promise of his early days at Coventry. Could he be the man that fires the Blades back into the top-flight?
If anyone’s going to keep him quiet, it might have to be someone who knows his game well. Stepping up to the plate, former Coventry teammate Ben Sheaf.
The midfielder made his move to Wales for a reported £6.5m in summer, a big statement signing for Wrexham in a window of necessary upheaval. Proven Championship quality is exactly what they needed. Sheaf is an ideal midfielder for this level, he sees a lot of the ball and is confident in possession, is able to transition his team up the pitch either by dribbling or passing the ball and isn’t afraid of getting stuck into a tackle. He’s one of the leading midfielders at this level for ball recoveries and very rarely strays into the opposition box. He’ll need to have his wits about him to stop O’Hare working his magic on Boxing Day.
Two former Cov boys at centre stage in this weeks’ Big Bet! Who will take home the bragging rights as a late Christmas treat?
Preview
It’s a huge game that could see either side catapulted into a play-off race! The division is so tightly packed that anything could happen still, all you need to do is get as many points on the board now and see who falters around you.
We could see both of these sides in the play-offs come May, we could see neither. With the state of this year’s Championship, who really knows?
Merry Christmas everyone! Thanks for reading the previews this year - I look forward to misguiding you on who to pick in the Big Bet’s next year!
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