Sheffield United head into their EFL Cup second round tie with Derby County looking for a much-needed victory after their abysmal start to the new Championship campaign.
While Wayne Rooney may ring the changes for the fixture at Bramall Lane, the England legend will call on his Rams squad to cause a surprise on Tuesday night.
Match preview
© Reuters
When Billy Sharp netted a late equaliser for Sheffield United against Huddersfield Town on Saturday, the reaction from the players and supporters was one of pure relief.
However, while collecting just a point would have still been regarded as unsatisfactory, conceding a decisive goal just seconds later summed up the Blades' start under Slavisa Jokanovic.
Sheffield United were supposed to be among a number of other strong teams in the battle for promotion, but just one goal from four games has left the Serbian with an uphill task when it comes to making an impression in Yorkshire.
Although Jokanovic will be provided with plenty of time to put things right and oversee a change in personnel, alarm bells will inevitably be ringing as the likes of West Bromwich Albion and Fulham look a class above this division.
© Reuters
Like his opposite number, Rooney will not be prioritising progress in this competition as he places full focus on trying to keep Derby in the Championship.
Nevertheless, he will likely use this game to hand further experience to the club's prospects, who have become increasingly important with Derby only allowed to sign players on free transfers.
Rooney took that approach when making his team selection against Salford in the previous round, Derby impressively fighting back from an early two-goal deficit to win on penalties.
Ravel Morrison emerged as the star man on that occasion, but six players with minimal first-team experience played their part in getting their club over the line.
As far as Championship action is concerned, Rooney will be delighted that Derby currently sit in 14th position with one of the best defensive records in the division.
- W
- L
- W
- D
- L
- L
- D
- D
- D
- L
- W
- D
Team News
© Reuters
Jokanovic will likely make sweeping changes to his team, handing starts to the likes of Jack Robinson, Jayden Bogle, David McGoldrick and Sharp.
Kyron Gordon and Kacper Lopata could be given another opportunity in a three-man backline, while Luke Freeman should return to the midfield.
Derby will hope to have Festy Ebosele available again after the young right-back missed Saturday's fixture against Middlesbrough with a minor knee issue.
Richard Stearman and Jordan Brown are expected to feature in the centre of defence, handing rests to veteran pair Phil Jagielka and Curtis Davies.
Isaac Hutchinson, Louie Watson and Jack Stretton should also be handed chances further up the pitch.
Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Verrips; Gordon, Lopata, Robinson; Bogle, Freeman, Norwood, Fleck, Osborn; McGoldrick, Sharp
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Allsopp; Ebosele, Stearman, Brown, Buchanan; Bird, Shinnie; Hutchinson, Watson, Sibley; Stretton
We say: Sheffield United 3-1 Derby County
At some point this season, things will surely click into gear for Sheffield United. While it remains to be seen how Jokanovic will approach this fixture, we are still backing the Blades to overcome what we expect to be a second-string Derby team.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Sheffield United win with a probability of 43.8%. A draw had a probability of 29.1% and a win for Derby County had a probability of 27.12%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sheffield United win was 1-0 with a probability of 14.51%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (8.97%) and 2-1 (8.12%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (13.15%), while for a Derby County win it was 0-1 (10.64%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with an 8.1% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Sheffield United would win this match.
