Sheffield United vs Tottenham Hotspur Preview – Prediction, how to watch & potential line-ups

A place in the FA Cup quarter-finals is up for grabs as Sheffield United and Tottenham Hotspur go head-to-head at Bramall Lane on Wednesday night.

Paul Heckingbottom’s side made light work of Championship rivals Millwall in the opening FA Cup round, cruising to a 2-0 away win before a 6-3 aggregate win over fifth-tier Wrexham last time out. 

Sheffield’s unrelenting effort to secure Premier League promotion takes another brief rest after Ryan Porteous’ own goal helped them topple Watford 1-0 at the weekend and solidify their position in the top two.

In addition to halting a two-game losing streak, the Blades have restored a handsomely-looking seven-point lead on third-placed Middlesbrough, calming the nerves ahead of Tottenham’s visit to Bramall Lane.

Speaking of lifted pressure, Oliver Skipp and Harry Kane scored beyond half-time to inspire Spurs to a morale-boosting 2-0 home win over fierce cross-town rivals Chelsea on Sunday. 

A massive London derby triumph, combined with Newcastle United’s League Cup commitments, moved Antonio Conte’s team four points clear of the fifth-placed Magpies in fourth in the Premier League. 

Conte, who’s still recovering from surgery, wasn’t able to guide his charges by the touchline, yet stand-in boss Christian Stellini was up to the task once again. 

Match Preview

Sheffield United

Bramall Lane has been Sheffield’s safe shelter of late, with the Blades racking up seven victories in their last eight home outings in all competitions (L1).

Heckingbottom’s men have been surprisingly prolific in the FA Cup this season, netting multiple goals in all three games at an average of 2.66 per match.

That could encourage Sheffield’s hopes of ending an underwhelming five-game losing streak to Premier League opposition in the FA Cup.

Tottenham Hotspur 

The humbling of Chelsea maintained Stellini’s 100% win ratio across his four games in charge of Tottenham, which bodes well for Spurs’ bid to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2017/18.

With Conte on the verge of returning, Stellini’s final assignment as a stand-in manager will be to help Spurs avenge three consecutive FA Cup round-five eliminations. 

The Blades could be a perfect victim, considering Tottenham dispatched them in both Premier League meetings in the 2020/21 season by an aggregate score of 7-1.

Sheffield United vs Tottenham Hotspur Potential Line-ups

Sheffield United (3-5-2): Wes Foderingham; Chris Basham, John Egan, Jack Robinson; Ben Osborn, Sander Berge, Oliver Norwood, Tommy Doyle, Max Lowe; Oli McBurnie, Iliman Ndiaye. 

Tottenham Hotspur (3-4-2-1): Fraser Forster; Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, Clement Lenglet; Ivan Perisic, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp, Pedro Porro; Arnaut Danjuma, Son Heung-min; Harry Kane. 

How to Watch?

Sheffield United vs Tottenham, alongside all other FA Cup fixtures, is available to watch online via the best live football streams.

Sheffield United vs Tottenham Hotspur Prediction 

With Conte likely to rotate his starting line-up after a physically exhausting clash against Chelsea, Sheffield cannot be discounted as potential winners of this tie. 

It would have to come at long odds, but stranger things have happened in recent FA Cup history, so we’d back the Blades to punch above their weight and reach the quarter-finals for the third time in four years.

Sheffield United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur