Blackburn Rovers vs Sheffield United: EFL Cup Clash Preview
Blackburn and Sheffield United put unbeaten records on the line on Tuesday night, with a place in the EFL Cup third round at stake and two very different early-season stories colliding at Ewood Park.
Mowbray’s second act gathers pace
Blackburn Rovers arrive with a spring in their step and a familiar face back in the dugout. Tony Mowbray has returned to Lancashire and wasted no time in re-energising a side that only just stayed up under Michael O'Neill last season.
His second spell began with late drama in the first round of this competition. Trailing 1-0 at Burton Albion with the clock running down, Blackburn flipped the tie on its head. Andri Gudjohnsen dragged them level, then Jayden Fevrier struck in the 88th minute to snatch a 2-1 win and safe passage.
The league schedule has been no gentler. An opening trip to newly-promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers produced a 2-2 draw, but it came with a sting: Rovers conceded a late penalty to surrender two points. Any frustration from that afternoon quickly turned into fuel. On Saturday, they came from behind again, this time at home to Middlesbrough, with Gudjohnsen on target once more and Todd Cantwell completing another second-half turnaround.
Four points from two tricky Championship fixtures. Three competitive games unbeaten. Goals in every outing. Mowbray’s side now briefly step away from the grind of the league, but the objective stays the same: keep the momentum rolling and punch their ticket into the EFL Cup third round.
Sheffield United solid, but searching for spark
The visitors arrive with their own unbeaten run, but of a very different flavour.
Sheffield United’s season opened with a clean, clinical 3-0 win at Mansfield Town in the first round. Patrick Bamford, Mark McGuinness and Callum O'Hare all found the net as Chris Wilder’s side eased through against League One opposition.
Since then, the goals have dried up. Two Championship games, two 0-0 draws. Birmingham City were held at Bramall Lane, Swansea City kept at arm’s length in South Wales. The Blades are the only side in the division yet to score, but also one of only two to have kept back-to-back clean sheets.
On the pitch, it’s a picture of organisation and control. Off it, the mood is more uneasy. Ownership issues and the looming threat of a potential points deduction have dominated the early-season conversation around Bramall Lane. Wilder, though, has three straight clean sheets to lean on and a group that has at least proved stubborn and hard to break down.
Now comes a sharper test: Championship opposition away from home and a chance to turn defensive resilience into a genuine cup run.
Team news and likely changes
Blackburn remain without Moussa Baradji, Dion De Neve, Augustus Kargbo, Lewis Miller and Scott Wharton, all sidelined with ongoing injuries.
Mowbray went strong in the first round at Burton, but with a positive start to the campaign banked, he is expected to shuffle his pack. Fevrier, the late hero from that night, is in line for a first start of the season, while Mathias Jorgensen is also pushing to come into the forward line.
Hayden Carter could be drafted into the back four, with Jake Garrett an option to freshen up the midfield. Gudjohnsen, though, has made himself very difficult to leave out: three games, three goals. The Icelander is well placed to lead the line again.
A possible Blackburn XI:
Toth; Alebiosu, Atcheson, Carter, Ribeiro; Garrett, Forshaw; Fevrier, Ohashi, Jorgensen; Gudjohnsen.
Sheffield United are also likely to rotate. Kalvin Phillips is still not ready to return, and Ryan One missed the draw at Swansea through injury.
Wilder switched to a 3-5-2 for that second league outing, and he has options to freshen that structure. Matt Doherty, Jamal Baptiste and Rhys Norrington-Davies are all candidates to come into the back line and wing-back roles.
In midfield, Jamie Shackleton and Jairo Riedewald are pushing for first starts of the campaign. Further forward, Tom Cannon, Romelle Donovan and Tyrese Campbell will all be eyeing opportunities if Wilder decides to ease the load on O'Hare and Bamford, who led the line at the weekend.
A possible Sheffield United XI:
Cooper; Baptiste, McGuinness, Norrington-Davies; Doherty, Riedewald, Arblaster, Burrows; Donovan, Campbell, Cannon.
Prediction
Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Sheffield United.
Rovers have already shown a taste for late drama and comebacks under Mowbray, and with Gudjohnsen in form and Ewood Park behind them, they look well placed to edge a tight tie against a Sheffield United side that has so far only cut loose against Mansfield. If both managers rotate, Blackburn’s sharper attacking rhythm could be the difference in a cup night that might tell us plenty about where these two seasons are heading.
