English Football League 
/ Alan Dudman / 09 February 2012 / Leave a Comment 
New Sheffield United signing James Beattie
"Sheffield United's home form is ultra strong, with 32 points gained at Bramall Lane this season, with the healthiest goals-to-games ratio in the division."
Sheffield United have been excellent at Bramall Lane this season and Alan Dudman expects that to continue when the blades host Wycombe on Saturday; weather permitting of course.
Sheffield United v Wycombe, KO: Saturday 15:00, Match Odds: Sheff Utd [1.43], Wycombe [8.4], The Draw [5.1]
Like many teams last week, Sheffield United were frozen off at Colchester. This weekend looks fairly straightforward for the hosts however, and the Blades enter a critical phase with huge games to tackle later this month against Huddersfield and city rivals Wednesday. A lucrative points return in February could cause a shift in their current title odds of [9.6].
United boss Danny Wilson has brought in some excellent players in the transfer window, including Will Hoskins and James Beattie, adding to an already strong looking squad. In short, the home side look to have so much more quality as an attacking threat than Wycombe. Sheffield United dominated the game against Charlton recently and lost 1-0, and prior played equally well to tear apart Bury. Their home form is ultra strong, with 32 points gained at Bramall Lane this season, with the healthiest goals-to-games ratio in the division.
Wycombe climbed out of the relegation zone last weekend with a gutsy 2-1 win over Tranmere. They had to defend for long periods and were a shade fortunate to win. The three points were inspired by captain Gareth Ainsworth - who at 38 years of age shows no signs of letting up.
I worry about Wanderers and their defence here, as this season they have conceded six against Huddersfield, five against Brentford and four against the MK Dons. The fact that six of Sheffield United's last eight games have been over 2.5 goals leads me to several other markets if the price on the home team is too short for you.
Back Over 2.5 Goals @ [1.74]
Back Over 3.5 Goals @ [2.8]
Back Sheff Utd 2-0 @ [7.6] & 3-0 @ [11.0] Correct Scores
Yeovil v Scunthorpe, KO: Saturday 15:00, Match Odds: Yeovil [2.5] Scunthorpe [3.1], The Draw [3.5]
Yeovil are one of those teams I never seem to get right, I hope to change that this weekend. The Glovers have hauled themselves out of the drop zone to 18th position and have a genuine chance of survival. They fought hard last Saturday only to lose 2-1 at Sheffield Wednesday, conceding a late screamer in a really stubborn display.
Manager Gary Johnson recently took over from Terry Skiverton and collected a reasonably healthy seven points in January. Yeovil line up 4-4-2 but will be missing captain Paul Huntington through suspension. Seven of their last eight games have been over 2.5 goals but they have lost eight times at Huish Park this season.
Scunthorpe are the draw specialists in League One, with a staggering 13 collected this term. Manager Alan Knill compromised their attacking style a while ago for a more pragmatic approach, and they've drawn four of their last eight games. Knill could welcome back striker Jordan Robertson and midfielder Michael O'Connor, and his lengthy injury list is now showing signs of easing.
The Iron don't score too many away from home, but have only conceded 17 goals in 13 games. Stocky loan signing Jon Parkin could add a bit of fire up front, but a draw looks the best option.
Back The Draw @ [3.5]
Back 0-0 @ [13.0] & 1-1 @ [7.4] Correct Scores
MK Dons v Bury, KO: Saturday 15:00, Match Odds: MK Dons [1.65] Bury [6.4], The Draw [4.0]
The MK Dons haven't won since January 2nd, a surprise considering their squad strength. Manager Karl Robinson has a growing reputation as an accomplished coach, which has obviously helped in recently signing Newcastle star Alan Smith and lightning-quick Celtic midfielder Paul Slane.
Robinson recently spoke of the need to add to his attacking options, and a newspaper story linked Tottenham midfielder David Bentley with a loan move to Buckinghamshire, which signifies their intent if true. On the pitch the Dons are drawing too many games, and bar the 4-2 defeat to Stevenage, have been held 1-1 or 0-0 in five of their last six matches.
Bury are hugely inconsistent, having defended brilliantly against Charlton in the 1-1 draw, they lost 3-0 at Rochdale in a match they were described as dire. The Shakers were quite negative in their set-up at Charlton, but it worked in stifling the attacking options of the Addicks. The game might be a bit tighter than the market predicts, which gives In-Play options to either wait for a bigger price on the hosts, or back-to-lay the draw later in the game. Ultimately the MK Dons ought to win, but a narrow verdict seems likely.
Back Under 2.5 Goals @ [2.12]
Back MK Dons 1-0 Correct Score @ [8.0]
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