Sheffield United vs Saints - League Cup QF Match Thread

Possibly our biggest game of the season, and a wonderful opportunity for us to stop the rot in the league, and get to a Semi-Final. Plus, a step closer to Wembley.

Sheffield United are 5th in League One at the moment, and are pushing for a return to the Championship this season. They do like a cup run in recent years, and reached Wembley last year in the FA Cup Semi-Finals where they lost 5-3 to Hull.

This will be a tough test for Saints, and we will have to progress without Pelle, who will miss out on Tuesday after picking up his 5th booking of the season at Burnley on Saturday. Morgan should return though. Gardos and Targett have featured in the cup this season, but it depends on whether Ronald sees this as a game where he wants to stick with the first team.

Kick Off is 7:45pm, and isn't on TV, but I'm sure streams will be available if you can't make it to Bramall Lane.

Possible line-up:

----------------Forster----------------
Clyne-----Fonte---------Toby-------Targett

-----Morgan-----Wanyama--------Davis---

-----Mane--------Long-----------Tadic-----

JWP could play, but I would be unsure as to who would drop out.

COYR!

 

-------------------Forster----------------
----Clyne-----Fonte-----Toby--------Bertrand
---------------Morgan------Wanyama----------
----JWP/Hesketh----Davis-------Tadic-------
-------------------Long-----------------------

That's the team I would pick.

 

That's also what I would play, but I think he might stick with Mane and play Targett.

 

Won't be easy. Bramall Lane on a freezing Tuesday night in December, and Sheff Utd will be bang up for this themselves. Could be season defining; win on Tuesday - I think we will - and everything's looking rosy again going into the Chrimbo pile up.

Cmon Saints. Get it right and get us all smiling again.

 

Would give everyone a big lift, but I can't imagine the disappointment if we lose this one.

 

Indeed. So let's not contemplate defeat. Won't be easy, but this is really in our hands (well,not ours as in the fans.But it's in the team's hands)

 

Odds say roughly 1/2.

 

Sheffield United v Southampton REFEREE: CHRISTOPHER FOY
ASSISTANTS: Michael McDonough and Stephen Child Fourth Official Paul Tierney

http://www.capitalonecup.co.uk/news...nd-5-match-official-appointments-2131631.aspx

 

My gut says 1-0 Sheffield utd.....

 

Saints to win 3-0

 

See a doctor then. Please.

 

Going to this one and looking forward to it as I haven't been to Bramall lane before - 2-0 Saints

 

So there will be no diving or red cards then?

 

I've said it before, but if we lose, i kill myself.

 

Let's not waste this...can we offer you as a human sacrifice to the gods?

 

* posted from ratings thread as relevant here*

The naivity of the "If we can't beat Sheffield United....." is something I hope is left in the stands with the fans and not with the management/players. I am concerned we will be playing our first game of the season without Pelle in such an important game. This doesn't not mean I think he is invincible/brilliant or all or nothing for us, just that we have not had to play one game without him or a big striker. This means that the whole team will have to adjust our style or at least have one option taken out. We won't get a few minutes at the start of the game to "feel or way" into a different style as Sheff Utd will be bursting to chase everything.

This game is and always had been, our biggest game in December. Anyone taking Sheff Utd lightly could be in for a rude awakening.

League One Saints 2 Premier League Blackpool 0

 

Spot on, FLT. I will travel with excitement, hope and trepidation in equal measures. I'm looking forward to it. I love Sheffield as a place, and I am meeting up with an old mate who is a Blades fan. However, a little voice keeps reminding me of:

League relegation fodder Tranmere 4, High Flying Premiership Saints 3**

I so hope that the Burnley game was the team getting the hangover out of their system. If Koeman takes this as a shot across the bows then the team will be right for Sheffield. Slightest hint of "this'll be easy" and we will be Wednesday's headline.

** still up there as one of the most painful of Saints memories!

 

Presumably extra time and penalties if required?

 

Yep.

 

This is such a big game. If we were to lose then I think even the most sane on here would start to twitch. I really hope we don't struggle without pelle and go out there and put in a good performance that gets us through. Hopefully we play schneiderlin and see that the past few poor results were just because he wasn't in the side.