Blackburn Rovers vs Sheffield United: EFL Cup Clash Preview
Blackburn and Sheffield United put unbeaten starts on the line on Tuesday night, with a place in the EFL Cup third round up for grabs and two very different early-season stories colliding at Ewood Park.
Mowbray’s second act gathers pace
Blackburn Rovers have not eased into the new campaign; they have lurched, rallied and clawed their way through it. Under returning manager Tony Mowbray, back in the dugout after Michael O'Neill steered them to survival last season, they have already rediscovered a bit of edge.
It began at Burton Albion in the first round of this competition. Rovers trailed 1-0 deep into the game, staring at an early exit, before Andri Gudjohnsen dragged them level and Jayden Fevrier smashed home an 88th-minute winner. Not pretty. Very Blackburn under Mowbray.
The Championship schedule did not cut them much slack either. An opening trip to newly-promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers ended in a 2-2 draw, with Rovers this time on the wrong end of late drama as they conceded a spot-kick equaliser. On Saturday, they had to come from behind again, turning it around against Middlesbrough as Gudjohnsen scored for the third straight competitive game and Todd Cantwell joined him on the scoresheet after the break.
Four points from two tricky league fixtures, progress in the cup, and a side that refuses to go quietly. Now comes another test of that resilience.
Blackburn switch focus back to the EFL Cup looking to ride that momentum into the third round and extend Mowbray’s promising restart.
Wilder’s Blades tight at the back, blunt up top
If Blackburn’s early weeks have been chaotic, Sheffield United’s have been controlled, cautious and a little bit cold.
Chris Wilder’s team opened their season with a 3-0 win at Mansfield Town in the first round of the EFL Cup, a comfortable, businesslike victory built on goals from Patrick Bamford, Mark McGuinness and Callum O'Hare. It looked like the ideal reset after an underwhelming 13th-placed finish in last season’s Championship.
Since then, the brakes have gone on in front of goal. Two league games, two 0-0 draws – first at home to Birmingham City, then away at Swansea City. They stand as the only side in the division yet to score in the Championship, but also one of just two teams to have kept back-to-back clean sheets.
So the platform is there. The structure is there. The cutting edge is not.
Off the pitch, the noise has been louder. Ownership concerns at Bramall Lane and the looming threat of a potential points deduction have dominated the early narrative. On it, Wilder has at least found a way to make his side stubborn and hard to break down.
Three straight clean sheets offer something to cling to. Now Sheffield United head to Ewood Park with the chance to sharpen up in front of goal and knock out a fellow Championship club to reach the third round.
Team news and likely changes
Blackburn’s squad is already feeling the strain. Moussa Baradji, Dion De Neve, Augustus Kargbo, Lewis Miller and Scott Wharton are all sidelined with injuries and will not feature.
Mowbray went strong in that first-round tie at Burton, but with the league campaign up and running and confidence high, he has room to shuffle his pack. Fevrier, the late hero in round one, is pushing for a first start of the season in attack, as is Mathias Jorgensen. Hayden Carter could come into the back line, Jake Garrett may be drafted into midfield, and Gudjohnsen – three games, three goals – has every chance of leading the line again.
Blackburn Rovers possible starting XI:
Toth; Alebiosu, Atcheson, Carter, Ribeiro; Garrett, Forshaw; Fevrier, Ohashi, Jorgensen; Gudjohnsen
Sheffield United are likely to rotate as well. Kalvin Phillips is still not ready to return, while Ryan One missed the Swansea trip through injury and remains a doubt.
Wilder shifted to a 3-5-2 for that second league outing, and he has options if he wants fresh legs without losing defensive solidity. Matt Doherty, Jamal Baptiste and Rhys Norrington-Davies are all candidates to come into the back line or wing-back roles. Jamie Shackleton and Jairo Riedewald could both be handed first starts of the season in midfield.
Up front, there is room to experiment around Bamford. Tom Cannon, Romelle Donovan and Tyrese Campbell are all in contention to start after O'Hare operated just off the former Leeds striker at the weekend.
Sheffield United possible starting XI:
Cooper; Baptiste, McGuinness, Norrington-Davies; Doherty, Riedewald, Arblaster, Burrows; Donovan, Campbell, Cannon
Prediction
Blackburn’s start under Mowbray has carried a sense of momentum and belief, fuelled by late winners and second-half comebacks. Sheffield United arrive with a defensive platform but a misfiring attack, their only goals so far coming against League Two opposition.
If both managers rotate, the hosts look better placed to absorb the changes and still carry a threat.
Prediction: Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Sheffield United.
