Blades sharp enough to test Saints

[sake]

Sheffield United can cause Southampton problems in the Capital One Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday, says our Andy Schooler.


Tuesday's Capital One Cup Top Tip

Sheffield United/Draw in Double Chance market

The Capital One Cup quarter-finals get under way on Tuesday night with two similar-looking ties on the fixture list.

Premier League sides Chelsea and Southampton both face tricky away trips to Football League opposition, yet both are very much odds-on to claim victories in 90 minutes and book their place in next month’s two-legged semi-finals.

Both are around the 1/2 mark with an upset win for the hosts at 6/1.

Chelsea head to Championship high-fliers Derby in the televised game, the Rams having only lost once at home all season.

However, in Chelsea they really are facing a step up in class – no matter who Jose Mourinho sends out. The strength in-depth at Chelsea is probably the best in England with the likes of Loic Remy, Ramires and Andre Schurrle all walking into most other Premier League teams.

Their squad depth is perhaps summed up best by the fact no-one really knows if Cesar Azpilicueta or Felipe Luis is Mourinho’s first-choice at left-back.

Now is also not a great time for Derby to be playing this fixture. They come into it having lost two of their last three games, with Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Middlesbrough being one of their worst performances of the season. They also had Ryan Shotton sent off, meaning he’ll be banned for this one.
Bet NOW on the Capital One Cup quarter-finals!

I much prefer the chances of Sheffield United when it comes to a potential upset.

They come up against a Southampton side seemingly stuck in a rut – after their flying start to the season they’ve not won in five, losing their last four.

That run has co-incided with a series of games against the better sides in the top flight and the Saints’ camp will doubtless see a clash with a League One side as an ideal opportunity to post a much-needed win.

However, the same would probably have been said of Saturday’s trip to Burnley where they lost 1-0.

A lack goals is a particular worry right now and that isn’t going to be helped here by the absence of top scorer Graziano Pelle, who is suspended after picking up a fifth yellow card of the season at Turf Moor.

They go up against a defence which has conceded just nine goals in 10 league games at Bramall Lane and one which stood up to a Premier League test at West Ham earlier in this competition.

The Blades won that tie on penalties and their run to the last eight has continued a strong cup tradition at the club, adding to last year’s semi-final appearance in the FA Cup. That run saw Premier League Aston Villa and Fulham beaten so they certainly have recent pedigree when it comes to cup upsets.

While their form is not spectacular, League One’s fifth-placed side are tough to beat. Even a couple of enforced absentees in Paddy McCarthy and Chris O'Grady isn’t enough to put me off – boss Nigel Clough, another man with a strong cup tradition, would likely have made a handful of changes in any case.

On a positive note, Jamie Murphy has been in good nick of late going forward and he’ll offer a threat to Southampton’s backline which is struggling to get back to the clean-sheet form of the late summer, early autumn.

Yes, Saints do have the quality to survive this test but it’s far from the certainty it looked when the draw was made.

If they do prevail, I certainly don’t see it being easy for them with extra time a definite possibility. You can get the hosts and the draw onside for 8/5 in the double-chance market which seems fair.