Sheffield vs Stoke City

It’s the final Friday of the regular EFL Championship season and the Bet365 Stadium should be rocking. Stoke, already safe from the drop, want to wash away Monday’s 6-0 thumping at Leeds. Sheffield United, meanwhile, still have a mathematical route to the play-offs and arrive buoyed by a 2-0 win over Cardiff last week. Kick-off is 20:00 BST, live on Sky Sports Football. Sky Sports

Why the fixture matters

Stoke City	Sheffield United
Position: 16th – 56 pts	Position: 7th – 68 pts
Form (last 5): W-W-L-L-L	Form (last 5): W-W-D-W-L
Home goals/game: 1.32	Away goals/game: 1.43
Last H2H at Stoke: 3-1 to United (Apr 2024)

United must better Sunderland’s result on Saturday to sneak sixth, so three points are non-negotiable. Stoke’s boss Steven Schumacher, a boyhood Potters fan, has challenged his side to “go out on a high and spoil a party”.

Latest 90-minute odds (checked 17:10 BST, Fri 25 Apr 2025)

Sports-betting casino*	Home (Stoke)	Draw	Away (Sheff Utd)
Betway	13/8 (2.63)	9/4 (3.25)	2/1 (3.00)
Bet365	7/5 (2.40)	9/4 (3.25)	21/10 (3.10)
ZetBet	6/4 (2.50)	23/10 (3.30)	2/1 (3.00)
888sport	27/20 (2.35)	23/10 (3.30)	2/1 (3.00)

Prices via Oddschecker composite feed; they can and will move right up to kick-off. Oddschecker.com

Where to have a flutter

Betway – slick in-play interface and frequent “Betway Boosts” on cards & corners. Open your Betway account
Bet365 – five-second bet builder and live HD streams. See the Bet365 review
ZetBet – newcomer with a generous “Bet £10 Get £10” sports token. Claim the ZetBet offer
888sport – famous for enhanced accas and £30 in free bets for new customers. Read the 888 review

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Tactics & team news in a nutshell

Stoke (4-3-3) – Tyrese Campbell returns after resting a tight hamstring; Vidigal keeps his place wide left. Expect high press and quick diagonal balls into the channels.
United (3-5-2) – Manager Paul Heckingbottom sticks with a front two of McBurnie and Brereton-Díaz; Max Lowe is fit again and should start at left wing-back. They’ll look to flood midfield, draw Stoke on and hit through the inside-right lane.

Key battle: Ben Pearson v Gustavo Hamer — winner controls the tempo and, very likely, the match.

Verdict & value bets

Both sides have found the net in seven of their last nine combined games. With neither defence bullet-proof, BTTS “Yes” at 8/11 (Bet365) appeals. If you fancy something spicier, a 2-2 draw is 14/1 at Betway.

Stoke City v Sheffield United — full betting comparison for Tonight's Championship head-liner

Stoke City v Sheffield United — full betting comparison for Tonight's Championship head-liner