Blackburn Rovers vs Sheffield United: EFL Cup Clash Preview

Blackburn and Sheffield United put unbeaten starts on the line on Tuesday night, when the EFL Cup rolls into Ewood Park and the early-season stories of both clubs collide.

Both arrive without a defeat. Only one can leave with a place in the third round.

Mowbray’s second act gathers pace

Blackburn Rovers are only three games into Tony Mowbray’s return, but there’s already a clear thread running through their season: resilience late on and a taste for drama.

His second spell began with that wild first-round tie at Burton Albion. Blackburn trailed 1-0 heading into the final 10 minutes, staring at an early exit. Then Andri Gudjohnsen dragged them level, and Jayden Fevrier smashed in an 88th-minute winner to flip the mood and the tie in a frantic finish.

That late surge set the tone.

In the Championship, Blackburn have taken four points from a demanding start. They opened with a 2-2 draw at newly-promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers, conceding a late penalty equaliser that denied them all three points. On Saturday, they went behind again, this time to Middlesbrough, only to turn it around after the break. Gudjohnsen scored yet again and Todd Cantwell joined him on the scoresheet to complete another second-half comeback.

Three competitive games. Two fightbacks. One striker scoring in every outing.

Now the focus swings back to the cup, and Mowbray’s side have a clear target: turn that promising start into tangible progress and book a third-round spot.

Blackburn will have to do it without a handful of injured players. Moussa Baradji, Dion De Neve, Augustus Kargbo, Lewis Miller and Scott Wharton are all still sidelined. That injury list, plus the quick turnaround, gives Mowbray every reason to shuffle his pack.

He named a strong XI in the first round, but this time Fevrier, the match-winner at Burton, and Mathias Jorgensen are in line for first starts of the season in attacking roles. Hayden Carter could step into the back line, Jake Garrett is pushing for a midfield berth, and Gudjohnsen is likely to lead the line again given his form.

A possible Rovers XI: Toth; Alebiosu, Atcheson, Carter, Ribeiro; Garrett, Forshaw; Fevrier, Ohashi, Jorgensen; Gudjohnsen.

If Blackburn’s early weeks have been about late goals and attacking sparks, Sheffield United’s have been built on something very different.

Wilder’s Blades tight at the back, blunt up front

Chris Wilder’s side walked into 2026-27 with a point to prove after drifting to 13th in last season’s Championship. They opened this campaign not in the league, but in the EFL Cup, and handled their first assignment with authority.

Away at Mansfield Town, Sheffield United cruised through 3-0. Patrick Bamford struck, Mark McGuinness added another, and Callum O’Hare rounded it off. A clean sheet, three different scorers, and a comfortable passage into round two.

Since then, the Blades’ league story has been more cagey than free-flowing.

Two Championship matches, two 0-0 draws. One at home to Birmingham City, another away at Swansea City. They stand as the only side in the division yet to score, but also one of just two to have kept back-to-back clean sheets.

So the pattern is clear: defensively sound, offensively stuck in neutral.

Off the pitch, the noise has been louder. Ownership concerns at Bramall Lane have dominated the early headlines, with the threat of a points deduction hanging in the background. On it, Wilder has at least found a foundation in that run of three consecutive clean sheets in all competitions.

Now they step into another all-Championship clash, looking to turn solidity into momentum and reach the EFL Cup third round.

Wilder has his own selection puzzles. Kalvin Phillips is still not fit enough to feature, and Ryan One missed the trip to Swansea through injury. The manager switched to a 3-5-2 at the weekend, and that shape could invite rotation across the back and midfield.

Matt Doherty, Jamal Baptiste and Rhys Norrington-Davies are all in the frame to freshen the defensive unit. Jamie Shackleton and Jairo Riedewald could be handed first starts of the season in midfield, adding legs and control. Higher up, Tom Cannon, Romelle Donovan and Tyrese Campbell are all waiting for chances to impress, with O’Hare having supported key man Bamford last time out.

A potential Blades XI: Cooper; Baptiste, McGuinness, Norrington-Davies; Doherty, Riedewald, Arblaster, Burrows; Donovan, Campbell, Cannon.

Prediction: edge to the hosts

So the stage is set: a Blackburn side riding the energy of Mowbray’s return and late-game comebacks, against a Sheffield United team who have found a defensive groove but left their attacking edge at the door since Mansfield.

If both managers rotate, the tie may hinge on which fringe players seize the moment and which regulars still anchor the side. On current evidence, Blackburn carry the sharper cutting edge, especially with Gudjohnsen in this kind of rhythm.

Call it tight, call it hard-fought, but the nod goes to the home side.

Prediction: Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Sheffield United.