Blackburn Rovers vs Sheffield United: EFL Cup Clash Preview
Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield United walk into Ewood Park on Tuesday with something precious to protect – unbeaten starts, early-season belief, and a chance to turn a solid August into real momentum in the EFL Cup.
Both arrive here having dealt with League One opposition in round one. Now comes a sharper test.
Mowbray’s second act gathers pace
Blackburn’s season has opened with drama, late goals and a familiar face back in the dugout. Tony Mowbray’s return was framed around stability after last season’s survival under Michael O'Neill; it has quickly turned into something more ambitious.
His second spell began with that wild night at Burton Albion in the first round. Trailing 1-0 heading into the final 10 minutes, Blackburn looked set for a flat start. Then Andri Gudjohnsen struck. Then Jayden Fevrier, off the bench, buried an 88th-minute winner. From the brink to the third round draw in the space of a few frantic minutes.
The league fixtures have kept the pulse racing. A trip to newly-promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers produced a 2-2 draw, but it stung: Rovers conceded a late penalty equaliser. Any doubts about their resilience were answered on Saturday, though, when they came from behind again to beat Middlesbrough. Gudjohnsen found the net once more, Todd Cantwell joined him on the scoresheet, and another second-half surge delivered three points.
Four points from two tough Championship games. Three competitive matches, three Gudjohnsen goals. There is a pattern forming.
Now the focus swings back to the EFL Cup. Blackburn want more than a cameo in this competition; they want a run. Mowbray may shuffle his pack, but the intent will not change.
He will have to do it without several injured names. Moussa Baradji, Dion De Neve, Augustus Kargbo, Lewis Miller and Scott Wharton remain sidelined. That opens the door for rotation rather than forces it.
Fevrier, the match-winner at Burton, is in line for his first start of the season in the attacking line, with Mathias Jorgensen also pushing to come in. Hayden Carter could be drafted into defence, Jake Garrett into midfield, offering fresh legs without weakening the spine. Gudjohnsen, in this form, is unlikely to be rested. Three games, three goals – strikers do not sit out when they are running this hot.
A possible Blackburn XI: Toth; Alebiosu, Atcheson, Carter, Ribeiro; Garrett, Forshaw; Fevrier, Ohashi, Jorgensen; Gudjohnsen.
Wilder’s Blades tight at the back, blunt up top
Across the halfway line on Tuesday stands a Sheffield United side trying to turn defensive solidity into something more convincing.
Chris Wilder’s team opened their season with a professional, almost routine, 3-0 win away at Mansfield Town in the first round. Patrick Bamford, Mark McGuinness and Callum O'Hare all found the net as United eased through without fuss.
Since then, the goals have dried up. The Championship campaign has started with back-to-back 0-0 draws – at home to Birmingham City and away at Swansea City. No side in the division has scored fewer; only one other can match their two clean sheets.
So there is a split personality to this Sheffield United start. Reliable at the back, yet still searching for rhythm in the final third.
Off the pitch, the noise has been louder. Ownership concerns at Bramall Lane and the looming threat of a possible points deduction have cast a shadow over the early weeks. The players cannot control that, but they can control what happens at Ewood Park, and three straight clean sheets at least give Wilder something solid to build on.
He, too, is likely to rotate. Kalvin Phillips is still not fit enough to feature, while Ryan One missed the trip to Swansea through injury and remains a doubt. Wilder moved to a 3-5-2 system for that game, and he has options if he wants to freshen up his back line again. Matt Doherty, Jamal Baptiste and Rhys Norrington-Davies are all candidates to come into the defensive unit.
Further forward, Jamie Shackleton and Jairo Riedewald are pushing for their first starts of the season in midfield. In attack, Tom Cannon, Romelle Donovan and Tyrese Campbell will be eyeing opportunities if Wilder chooses to rest O'Hare or even Bamford, who led the line at the weekend as United again drew a blank.
A possible Sheffield United XI: Cooper; Baptiste, McGuinness, Norrington-Davies; Doherty, Riedewald, Arblaster, Burrows; Donovan, Campbell, Cannon.
Edge with Blackburn?
On form, Blackburn carry the sharper threat. Mowbray’s side have already shown they can chase games, flip deficits and find late winners. Sheffield United, by contrast, have only put goals past Mansfield so far and are still waiting for their first Championship strike of the season.
If both managers rotate, the tie may hinge on which fringe players seize their chance. Right now, Blackburn’s attacking momentum and Gudjohnsen’s scoring streak tilt the balance.
Prediction: Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Sheffield United.
If that proves right, Mowbray’s second spell will start to feel less like a reunion and more like the start of something new.
