Eight of Villa's nine Premier League wins last season were under 3.5 goals, and only once did they score more than twice themselves. So to back something that covers 1-0, 2-0, 2-1 and 3-0 is a smart play.
What encourages me to think that this will be cagey is that Villa and the Blades shared what otherwise has been a forgettable goalless draw in the opening match of Project Restart back in June.
It was memorable for the wrong reasons, of course, as Hawk Eye failed, meaning Villa keeper Orjan Nyland got away with taking the ball over his own goal-line.
And here's one that I just feel I can't leave out of the staking plan in small stakes having seen how superb Jack Grealish was in the Carabao Cup, albeit against Sky Bet League One opposition.
The Villa captain, who had just signed a new five-year contract, was effervescent throughout, capping his performance with a brilliant 20-yard volley after being picked out at the edge of the area from a corner.
Now a full England international, Grealish looks to be entering a purple patch and is set to build on a superb 2019/20 campaign. is huge, especially if that training-ground routine is attempted by Villa again. I'm at the very least interested, to small stakes anyway.
In open play, Smith is certainly making an effort to push him further up the field, and goals in successive games for the first time since October would be a welcome reward for that.
Score prediction: Aston Villa 1-0 Sheffield United ()
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Odds correct at 1315 BST 20/09/20
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