Sheffield United vs Preston North End Prediction, Preview and Stats

England flag 2025/2026 Championship, England
Bramall Lane Sat, 25 Apr - 2:00 PM
Championship
Sheffield United SHU
Versus
Preston North End PNE
KICKOFF : Sat, 25 Apr - 2:00 PM
Round 45 Regular Season

CONTEXT

Sheffield United welcome Preston North End to Bramall Lane for a Championship regular season fixture in the 2025/2026 campaign. The hosts boast a clear structural edge, with a power score of 25.91 surpassing Preston's 21.63 by 4.3 points, cementing their status as the stronger outfit. Mid-table positioning underscores this, as Sheffield sit 12th while Preston languish in 16th. Form metrics reveal a razor-thin gap, home side at 20.78 against visitors' 20.28, suggesting recent performances are evenly matched. Absent last outing details, focus shifts to inherent strengths. Set piece insights remain elusive due to unavailable xG data and low-confidence proxies. This setup frames a contest where Sheffield's advantages could shine through disciplined play, yet Preston's grit promises resistance in a potentially cagey battle.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Sheffield United hold a 4.3-point power advantage over Preston North End with scores of 25.91 to 21.63.
  • Form: Form scores are tightly contested at 20.78 for Sheffield United and 20.28 for Preston North End.
  • Squad: Sheffield United occupy 12th place while Preston North End sit 16th in the Championship table.
  • Efficiency: Efficiency data is unavailable for this matchup.
  • Transition: No specific transition play metrics are provided.
  • Set pieces: Set piece data shows low confidence with proxies used and no xG available for either team.
  • xVariable: xG metrics for set pieces are unavailable due to add-on not enabled.
  • Market: Projection split: Sheffield United 0% (Δ+0%) | Draw 0% (Δ+0%) | Preston North End 0% (Δ+0%).
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
Sheffield United C. Wilder
C. Wilder
VS
Preston North End P. Heckingbottom
P. Heckingbottom
1.53
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
1.22
1.33 i
Last 6 Opponents
Blackburn Rovers Rank: D
Watford Rank: W
Hull City Rank: W
Bristol City Rank: L
Swansea City Rank: D
Wrexham Rank: L
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
1.5 i
Last 6 Opponents
Birmingham City Rank: D
West Bromwich Albion Rank: L
Charlton Athletic Rank: W
Queens Park Rangers Rank: D
Leicester City Rank: D
Stoke City Rank: W
12
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
12 - 7 - 7
7
No sidelined player data available.

Win Probabilities

Live Win Probability (90 Min)
Home Sheffield United
0%
Draw
0%
Away Preston North End
0%

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power score: composite of opponent-weighted form (last 6 & 20 games) and league position over last 3 seasons.
25.91
21.63
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
Sheffield United
Preston North End
Power Score
25.91
21.63
League Position
12
16
Global Rank
-
-

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

–
vs
Sheffield United — Opponent-weighted form score
Preston North End — Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) Sheffield United Preston North End

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 26 matches between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

Sheffield United SHU Home
26 matches
Preston North End PNE Away
Match Record
12
Wins
7
7
Draws
7
7
Losses
12
Goals
33
Goals Scored
27
27
Goals Conceded
33
+6
Goal Difference
-6
Expected Goals
0
xG
0
0
xGA
0

Data last updated: 2026-04-21T01:06:05+00:00

General Information

Date & Time
Apr 25, 2026, 02:00 PM
Competition
2025/2026 Championship, England · Round 45 · Regular Season
Stadium
Bramall Lane
Capacity
32702
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair

Squad

Squad ▼

17
Adam Davies
Adam Davies Goalkeeper
1
Michael Cooper
Michael Cooper Goalkeeper
31
Luke Faxon
Luke Faxon Goalkeeper
15
Ben Mee
Ben Mee Defender
2
Japhet Tanganga
Japhet Tanganga Defender
14
Harrison Burrows
Harrison Burrows Defender
16
Jamie Shackleton
Jamie Shackleton Defender
3
Sam McCallum
Sam McCallum Defender
12
Ki-Jana Hoever
Ki-Jana Hoever Defender
38
Femi Seriki
Femi Seriki Defender
25
Mark McGuinness
Mark McGuinness Defender
5
Leo Fuhr Hjelde
Leo Fuhr Hjelde Defender
32
Mihail Yordanov Polendakov
Mihail Yordanov Polendakov Defender
6
Tyler Bindon
Tyler Bindon Defender
22
Tom Davies
Tom Davies Midfielder
27
Kalvin Phillips
Kalvin Phillips Midfielder
48
Joe Rothwell
Joe Rothwell Midfielder
10
Callum O'Hare
Callum O'Hare Midfielder
44
Jaïro Riedewald
Jaïro Riedewald Midfielder
8
Gustavo Hamer
Gustavo Hamer Midfielder
24
Tahith Chong
Tahith Chong Midfielder
11
Andre Brookes
Andre Brookes Midfielder
28
Alex Matos
Alex Matos Midfielder
4
Ollie Arblaster
Ollie Arblaster Midfielder
42
Sydie Peck
Sydie Peck Midfielder
18
Djibril Soumaré
Djibril Soumaré Midfielder
45
Patrick Bamford
Patrick Bamford Attacker
9
Daniel William John Ings
Daniel William John Ings Attacker
19
Chiedozie Ogbene
Chiedozie Ogbene Attacker
23
Tyrese Campbell
Tyrese Campbell Attacker
7
Thomas Christopher Cannon
Thomas Christopher Cannon Attacker

Squad ▼

13
David Cornell
David Cornell Goalkeeper
1
Daniel Iversen
Daniel Iversen Goalkeeper
44
Brad Potts
Brad Potts Defender
16
Andrew Hughes
Andrew Hughes Defender
14
Jordan Storey
Jordan Storey Defender
3
Andrija Vukčević
Andrija Vukčević Defender
6
Liam Lindsay
Liam Lindsay Defender
18
Jamal Lewis
Jamal Lewis Defender
19
Lewis Jack Gibson
Lewis Jack Gibson Defender
2
Pol Valentín Sancho
Pol Valentín Sancho Defender
42
Odeluga Offiah
Odeluga Offiah Defender
26
Thierr Small
Thierr Small Defender
11
Robbie Brady
Robbie Brady Midfielder
4
Benjamin Whiteman
Benjamin Whiteman Midfielder
15
Jordan Thompson
Jordan Thompson Midfielder
8
Alistair McCann
Alistair McCann Midfielder
23
Andrew Moran
Andrew Moran Midfielder
21
Alfie Devine
Alfie Devine Midfielder
34
Kitt Nelson
Kitt Nelson Midfielder
20
Theo Carroll
Theo Carroll Midfielder
24
Michael Smith
Michael Smith Attacker
10
Callum Lang
Callum Lang Attacker
28
Milutin Osmajić
Milutin Osmajić Attacker
17
Lewis Norman Dobbin
Lewis Norman Dobbin Attacker
9
Daniel Jebbison
Daniel Jebbison Attacker
22
Miloš Luković
Miloš Luković Attacker

CONCLUSION

Sheffield United enter as marginal favorites, leveraging their 4.3-point power lead and Bramall Lane fortress against a Preston North End side trailing in standings and strength metrics. Near-identical form scores hint at parity in momentum, potentially forcing reliance on tactical nous over flair. Without granular efficiency or set piece breakdowns, the emphasis falls on structural superiority and home resilience. Preston's away form holds steady, but visitors must counter Sheffield's edge to steal points. Expect a measured affair where Blades' precision in key moments tips the scales in a hard-fought Championship scrap.

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