Championship · Matchday 13 
Our pick1–0Exact score
Sheffield United and Wrexham seek a vital edge in tight Championship contest
Just two points separate Sheffield United and Wrexham after 12 matches, with both sides showing similar recent scoring form. Sheffield United’s home advantage and slightly stronger defensive record could prove decisive.
📍 Bramall Lane
Preview written: · Updated after team news:
All Matchday 13 matchesFull head-to-head
Match report
Sheffield Utd beat Wrexham 1-0 in the Championship, with Ben Brereton scoring the only goal in the 30th minute. No assists were recorded, and neither side received a red card. That goal proved decisive as Sheffield Utd secured the win.
Sheffield Utd had 55% possession and led 13-9 in total shots, while shots on target were 4-1. The home side also held a 1.14-0.66 advantage in expected goals and won seven corners to Wrexham’s none. Ben Brereton was the top-rated player, with a rating of 7.8. The 1-0 result matched the pre-match model’s predicted score; it had assigned Sheffield Utd a 46% chance of winning, a draw 26%, and Wrexham a 28% chance.
Goals
- 30'Ben Brereton · Sheffield Utd
Cards
- 27'Callum Doyle · Wrexham
- 55'Liam Kitching · Sheffield Utd
- 67'Kalvin Phillips · Sheffield Utd
Match stats
⭐ Top-rated player: B. Brereton (Sheffield Utd) 7.8
Ratings and statistics: API-Football.
Confirmed lineups
Sheffield Utd · 4-4-2
- 1M. CooperG
- 8H. ChoudhuryD
- 5J. TangangaD
- 15L. KitchingD
- 14H. BurrowsD
- 19T. ChongM
- 42Sydie PeckM
- 27K. PhillipsM
- 11R. DonovanM
- 10J. AyewF
- 22B. BreretonF
Coach: Chris Wilder
Wrexham · 3-4-2-1
- 22A. PattersonG
- 5D. HyamD
- 6J. WorrallD
- 2C. DoyleD
- 12I. KaboréM
- 37M. JamesM
- 18B. SheafM
- 3J. EkomiéM
- 20O. RathboneM
- 27L. O'BrienM
- 19K. MooreF
Coach: P. Parkinson
Match facts
Recent form
Last 5 league games, latest on the right
Goals per game
| · | Scored | Conceded |
|---|---|---|
| Sheffield Utd | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| Wrexham | 1.3 | 1.5 |
League position
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Sheffield Utd | 12 | +1 | 16 |
| 17 | Wrexham | 12 | -3 | 14 |
Last meetings
- 2026Sheffield Utd1-2Wrexham
- 2025Wrexham5-3Sheffield Utd
- 2024Sheffield Utd4-2Wrexham
- 2023Sheffield Utd3-1Wrexham
- 2023Wrexham3-3Sheffield Utd
Absences
Sheffield Utd
- OutM. Doherty · Injury
- OutR. One · Inactive
- OutJ. Shackleton · Health problems
- DoubtfulP. Bamford · Inactive
Wrexham
- OutN. Broadhead · Thigh Injury
- OutL. Cacace · Calf Injury
- OutM. Cleworth · Muscle Injury
- OutJ. Windass · Ankle Injury
- DoubtfulS. Revan · Hamstring Injury
- DoubtfulG. Thomason · Thigh Injury
PreviaXI model
Model confidence: Open game
- Predicted score
- 1-0
- Expected goals (model)
- 1.56 – 1.17
- Double chance
- 12 · 74%1X 72% · X2 54%
- Over 2.5 goals
- 52%Over 1.5: 77% · Over 3.5: 29%
- Both teams score
- 55%
- Clean sheet
- 31% – 21%Sheffield Utd–Wrexham
- Half-time result
- X · 41%1 35% · 2 24%
- Half-time / full-time
- 1/1 · 28%X/X 16% · 2/2 16%
- Expected corners
- 10.76.1 – 4.6 · Over 9.5: 61%
- Expected cards
- 3.71.7 – 2.0 · Over 3.5: 52%
- Most likely scores
- 1-113%
- 1-09%
- 2-19%
- 2-08%
- 0-07%
Statistical model based on expected goals (xG), results and match statistics from the last two seasons. For information only. How our model works →
Two points, little to separate them
Sheffield United sit 12th in the Championship on 16 points, while Wrexham are 17th on 14 after 12 matches apiece. With both teams close together in a 24-club table, Friday’s meeting at Bramall Lane offers a chance to make a meaningful move rather than merely preserve the status quo.
The gap is narrow in more than points: Sheffield United have a goal difference of +1, compared with Wrexham’s -3. The home side have won four of their 12 games; Wrexham have three wins and have drawn five. Small margins may matter, and Sheffield United’s record of two wins in six home games gives them a platform to build on.
Similar returns, different concerns
Both teams scored eight goals across their last five matches, averaging 1.6 per game. Sheffield United conceded six in that run, one fewer than Wrexham, and have allowed 15 goals across the season against Wrexham’s 18.
Wrexham’s away record is a particular challenge: they have scored five goals in six league trips and conceded 10. Sheffield United, by contrast, have scored eight and conceded seven in six home matches. Both sides have four wins and four defeats overall, but Wrexham’s five draws underline how often their games have remained close.
A lively recent rivalry
The last five meetings have produced plenty of goals. Wrexham won 2-1 at Bramall Lane in March and beat Sheffield United 5-3 at home in December. Sheffield United’s earlier wins include a 4-2 League Cup result and a 3-1 FA Cup victory, while the sides also drew 3-3 in the cup in January 2023.
Those results offer no clear recent head-to-head advantage, but they point to a fixture capable of turning quickly.
Absences could shape the balance
Sheffield United are without M. Doherty through injury and J. Shackleton because of health problems; R. One is also listed as inactive. P. Bamford is questionable.
Wrexham have four players listed out: N. Broadhead, L. Cacace, M. Cleworth and J. Windass, with thigh, calf, muscle and ankle injuries respectively. S. Revan and G. Thomason are both questionable with hamstring and thigh problems.
The home edge to watch
Sheffield United’s stronger home numbers stand out against Wrexham’s away record, while the visitors have been more vulnerable defensively over the season. Both have found the net regularly in recent matches, but the home side’s edge in goals conceded could be important in a tight contest.
Our prediction
PreviaXI’s model leans towards Sheffield United, whose stronger home scoring and defensive figures give them the narrow advantage. With the table so close and Wrexham’s recent meetings with the Blades often producing goals, this could still be competitive, but a controlled home win is the call.
Sheffield Utd 1-0 Wrexham
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