- 1 Blackburn Rovers vs Sheffield United: three clean sheets against three games with a Gudjohnsen goal
- 2 Blackburn Rovers: Mowbray has got the comeback machine running again
- 3 Sheffield United: locked down at the back, blunt up front in the league
- 4 FOOT Prediction Blackburn Rovers vs Sheffield United
- 5 First, a word on our free picks
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your role
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Blackburn Rovers vs Sheffield United: three clean sheets against three games with a Gudjohnsen goal 
Sheffield United have not conceded a single goal since the start of their season. Blackburn, meanwhile, have seen Andri Gudjohnsen score in each of their three official outings.
Those two streaks meet at Ewood Park on Tuesday 25 August, at 19:45 English time, in the second round of the EFL Cup. Both clubs play in the Championship and head into this one unbeaten.
The Rovers got past Burton Albion in the previous round, while the Blades swept aside Mansfield Town. Neither side has yet faced opposition from its own level in this competition.
Tony Mowbray has been back in charge at Blackburn this summer, after the club stayed up under Michael O’Neill last season. Four points from their opening two Championship games, including an away trip to Wolverhampton, is a solid start.
Chris Wilder, by contrast, is coming off a 2025-26 campaign that ended in 13th and is trying to get things moving again. His two league matches have both finished 0-0, which says plenty about the way his season has begun.
The recent head-to-head record leans firmly towards Yorkshire: eight Sheffield United wins from the last 12 meetings, with 22 goals scored to 12. But the current form tells a different story.
Blackburn beat Burton Albion, Sheffield United saw off Mansfield Town. Neither side has yet faced an opponent from its own bracket in this edition.
Both managers are likely to rotate with a Championship game coming up at the weekend. Squad depth could matter a lot in a tie like this.
Blackburn Rovers: Mowbray has got the comeback machine running again 
Three official matches, no defeats, and two comeback wins for Blackburn. Tony Mowbray’s return to Ewood Park has already brought a clear identity.
At Burton Albion, the Rovers were 1-0 down until the final 10 minutes before Gudjohnsen levelled and Jayden Fevrier struck the winner in the 88th minute.
Same story on Saturday against Middlesbrough: a 2-1 win built in the second half, with Gudjohnsen on target again and Todd Cantwell adding the second.
Between those games came the trip to Wolverhampton, which left a sour taste after a 2-2 draw was conceded to a 93rd-minute penalty. Still, given the opposition, the point was a useful one.
The treatment room is still busy for the Rovers, with Moussa Baradji, Dion De Neve, Augustus Kargbo, Lewis Miller and Scott Wharton all still out.
Mowbray is expected to rotate anyway: Fevrier and Mathias Jorgensen are in line for a first start in attack, while Hayden Carter and Jake Garrett are candidates to come into the side in defence and midfield.
Todd Cantwell remains Blackburn’s main man in midfield, after scoring on Saturday against Middlesbrough. His link-up with Gudjohnsen has been the best thing about their restart.
Ewood Park has seen Blackburn win their only home match of the season. That’s a real foundation against a side that has yet to score in the league.
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Sheffield United: locked down at the back, blunt up front in the league 
Three straight clean sheets, zero league goals. Sheffield United’s start to the season is a statistical oddity all by itself.
The 3-0 win over Mansfield in the first round, with goals from Patrick Bamford, Mark McGuinness and Callum O’Hare, remains the only game in which the attack has really shown up.
Since then, two 0-0 draws: at home to Birmingham City, then at Swansea City. Sheffield United are the only Championship side yet to score, and one of only two clubs to have managed two clean sheets.
The issues are not only on the pitch. Bramall Lane is dealing with takeover questions and the threat of a points deduction, and that sort of noise does not stay outside the dressing room for long.
As for the squad, Kalvin Phillips is still not fit enough to play and Ryan One missed the trip to Swansea through injury.
Wilder switched to a 3-5-2 on matchday two and is expected to shuffle again on Tuesday, with Jamie Shackleton and Jairo Riedewald pushing for first starts, and Tom Cannon and Tyrese Campbell waiting in the wings up front.
Patrick Bamford has been the Blades’ most decisive player since the restart, scoring at Mansfield and supported by Callum O’Hare as the front player at Swansea.
Oliver Arblaster runs the midfield and should keep his place despite the rotations. He is Wilder’s key link between defence and attack.
Likely Blackburn Rovers XI: Toth ; Alebiosu, Atcheson, Carter, Ribeiro ; Garrett, Forshaw ; Fevrier, Ohashi, Jorgensen ; Gudjohnsen
Likely Sheffield United XI: Cooper ; Baptiste, McGuinness, Norrington-Davies ; Doherty, Riedewald, Arblaster, Burrows ; Donovan, Campbell, Cannon
FOOT Prediction Blackburn Rovers vs Sheffield United
Our prediction: Blackburn Rovers to win
Blackburn have scored in all three of their games this season and Gudjohnsen has had a hand in every one of them. Sheffield United, meanwhile, have not found the net since the previous round against a League Two side.
Add in the mood around Bramall Lane, with takeover uncertainty and the threat of sporting punishment, and compare it with Ewood Park, where Mowbray’s return has gone well and the Rovers have already come from behind twice in three games.
The Rovers can get through this one at home. The pick is Blackburn to win in normal time.
Sheffield United have not scored since the 3-0 win at Mansfield and are still searching for the right attacking formula, somewhere between the 4-3-3 used on the opening day and the 3-5-2 from the second match.
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