Two sides still chasing their first Championship wins of the season will meet in South Wales on Saturday as Cardiff City play host to Sheffield United.
Cardiff, promoted back to the Championship at the first time of asking last season, have started life back in the second tier with a pair of draws against Wrexham - thanks to a 98th-minute Rubin Colwill equaliser - and Derby County.
The Bluebirds suffered their first defeat of the campaign in midweek, going down 2-1 to Norwich City in the second round of the EFL Cup, which was in contrast to United, who were 2-1 winners at Blackburn Rovers in the same competition.
Like their hosts, the Blades have started the league season with back-to-back draws against Birmingham City and Swansea City, but with both those games finishing goalless, they are the only side in the division yet to score and one of just two to have kept successive clean sheets.
Cardiff City v Sheffield United Tips Summary
Best Bet - Sheffield United to win @ 13/10
Alternative Bet - Under 2.5 goals @ 6/5
Bet Builder - Yousef Salech 2+ shots on target, Cardiff to win most corners & Both teams to score - No @ 10/1
Cardiff City v Sheffield United Prediction
Best Bet: Sheffield United to win @ 13/10
In a quirk to the fixture schedule, this will be the fourth time in five matches that United have been on their travels this season and they will be back in South Wales just a week on from earning a hard-fought goalless draw at Swansea.
Being on the road has not seemed to have had a detrimental effect on Chris Wilder's side, who have won at both Mansfield Town and Blackburn in the cup, and their recent record in Cardiff should also fill them with confidence.
The Blades have won on each of their last three visits to the Cardiff City Stadium, part of a six-match winning run against the Bluebirds in league fixtures, and they should have too much for their injury-ravaged hosts on Saturday.
Despite it being so early in the season, Cardiff have injury concerns, specifically at the back with Calum Chambers, Gabriel Osho, Will Fish and Dylan Lawlor all currently on the sidelines.
Full-backs Perry Ng and Joel Bagan have both filled in at the heart of the defence, while teenager Noah Anyadike started against Norwich and in doing so became the youngest player in EFL Cup history.
A patched-up Bluebird defence have conceded in all four of their matches this season and Sheffield United should not only get off the mark in terms of league goals this weekend, but also pick up their first three points.
Alternative Bet: Under 2.5 goals @ 6/5
Cardiff may have defensive concerns, but this is a Sheffield United side that have started the league campaign with back-to-back goalless draws, so a goalfest is not expected.
Across the last 12 meetings between the two sides - a run that stretches back to 2009 - 10 have featured a maximum of two goals, with Sheffield United winning the last two league encounters 2-0.
This match is unlikely to be a classic and one goal may even be enough to secure a victory.
Cardiff City v Sheffield United Bet Builder Tip
Yousef Salech 2+ shots on target
Cardiff to win most corners
Both teams to score - No
Pays 10/1
United may be the most likely winners of this game, but they have had the fewest shots, on or off target, of any team in the Championship across the opening two rounds of fixtures.
Cardiff will expect to have more efforts on goal than their visitors and forward Yousef Salech, who has started the season with four goals in as many games, can trouble the target on multiple occasions.
It is not just shots and goals that have been in short supply for the Blades this season, they have also earned a limited amount of set pieces and have lost the corner count in each of their four matches this term.
By contrast, Cardiff have had at least the same amount of corners as all their opponents in 2026/27 and they can earn more than the Blades, even if that does not translate to scoring goals.
Only once across the last six meetings between these sides have both found the back of the net, a trend that should continue at the Cardiff City Stadium.
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Key Match Stats
Cardiff have drawn both their league matches since returning to the Championship
Sheffield United have started the league season with back-to-back goalless draws
The Blades are the only team yet to score in the Championship and one of two yet to concede
United have won their last six league matches against Cardiff
Chris Wilder's side have also won on their last three visits to the Cardiff City Stadium
Under 2.5 goals would have been a winning bet in 10 of the last 12 meetings between these sides
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
