Preview: Sheffield United vs Blackburn Rovers – prediction, team news, line-ups | OneFootball

Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers go head-to-head at Bramall Lane on Sunday with a place in the FA Cup semi-finals up for grabs.

With just four Premier League teams in the last eight of the competition, the Championship promotion-chasers will be dreaming of getting their shot at silverware in May.

The Blades defeated Tottenham Hotspur to reach the quarter-finals, while Rovers produced a superb performance to win at Leicester City.

If Rovers win on Sunday it will be the first time they have defeated the Blades in the FA Cup for 126 years – a statistic that does not bode well for their chances.

Match Preview

The Blades have been riding high in the Championship for much of the season, but a recent dip in form put their automatic promotion hopes in jeopardy.

However, a 2-1 victory at Sunderland in midweek moved them six points clear of third-placed Middlesbrough and gave them a welcome boost ahead of the weekend.

Paul Heckingbottom’s defeated Rovers 3-0 at Bramall Lane earlier in the season and will be confident of booking their place in the semi-finals.

Their path to this stage of the competition has not been smooth, with non-league Wrexham giving them an almighty fright in the fourth round.

Striker Billy Sharp’s unsportsmanlike antics after the game wound up many neutral fans and they will be desperate to see him get his comeuppance.

Rovers head into the game having lost just once in their last 13 outings in all competitions and will be confident of getting a positive result this weekend.

Inconsistency blighted Rovers during the early part of the season, with manager Jon Dahl Tomasson’s tactices often called into question by the fans.

However, since a 4-0 defeat at Rotherham United in January, things have clicked into place for Rovers and they are firmly in the hunt for promotion.

Their progress in the FA Cup has also been impressive. most notably when they played Leicester off the park at the King Power Stadium in the previous round.

Rovers beat the Blades at Ewood Park earlier this month, and it would be no surprise if they repeated the feat in their latest meeting.

Championship Form

Team News

The Blades have several players out injured including Rhys Norrington-Davies, Rhian Brewster, Ben Osborn and Jack O’Connell.

Tommy Doyle was impressive in midweek at Sunderland and is fancied to get the nod again in the centre of midfield.

Bradley Dack and John Buckley will miss out for Rovers, who will likely field the same starting XI that played against Reading in midweek.

Ben Brereton-Diaz was preferred to Tyrhys Dolan on the left flank and is expected to retain his place against the Blades.

Sheffield United potential starting line-up:

(3-5-2): Foderingham, Ahmedhodzic, Egan, Robinson, Baldock, Berge, Doyle, McAtee, Lowe, Jebbison, Ndiaye.

Blackburn Rovers potential starting line-up:

(4-2-3-1): Pears, Rankin-Costello, Carter, Hyam, Pickering, Travis, Morton, Thomas, Szmodics, Brereton-Diaz, Gallagher.

How to Watch?

Sheffield United vs Blackburn Rovers, alongside all other fixtures in the English tournament, is available to watch online via live FA Cup streams.

We Say: Sheffield United 2-2 Blackburn Rovers (Rovers win on penalties)

With a place in the last four up for grabs, we expect to see both teams pull out all the stops to secure victory this weekend.

The Blades are tough to beat at Bramall Lane, but we have a sneaky suspicion that Rovers can make things difficult before sneaking through on penalties.