Preview | Sheffield United U21s v Swansea City U21s
Swansea City Under-21s face Sheffield United this evening in the last 16 of the Premier League Cup at Bramall Lane (7pm).
The Swans drew 1-1 in their final group-stage fixture against Premier League outfit Aston Villa earlier in February, which was enough to see them advance as Group A runners-up.
In their previous group fixtures, the development side had recorded wins over Hull City (home and away) and Brighton (home), but suffered late heartbreak in defeat at home to Villa and in the reverse fixture against the Seagulls.
The Swans will be looking to bounce back from their heavy defeat on the road against Ipswich Town last time out.
The young Blades, meanwhile, have won two out of their last five fixtures in all competitions and were Group B winners in this competition.
Pre-match views
Coach Anthony Wright: "It's a big game, one we've been looking forward to for a while. It's at a stadium and a Premier League stadium at that, which is always a great experience for the boys.
"We'll put last week behind us, and we'll go into this game with a fresh mindset. It's a knockout game and they always bring a different competitive edge.
"We've come up against some tough opposition to get here, and we've definitely set ourselves some targets to get as far as we can."
Previous meeting - August 29, 2023
Sheffield United 4 Swansea City 2
Swansea City Under-21s fell to defeat at Sheffield United as three first-half goals set the Blades on the way to victory in their last Professional Development League encounter in south Yorkshire.
Antwoine Hackford opened the scoring within the first 10 minutes, with Fernando Macedo grabbing a brace for the hosts.
Sam Parker pulled a goal back for the Swans after the break - netting for the second straight game - before Hackford added his second of the afternoon with 20 minutes to go.
Parker struck again for the visitors but it was too late to salvage a result for the Swans.
Swansea City Under-21s: Evan Watts, Sam Parker, Ben Blythe, Dan Watts, Harry Jones, Kai Ludvigsen, Liam Smith, Mitchell Bates, Kyrell Wilson, Maliq Cadogan, Kian Jenkins.
Substitutes: Josh Carey, Remy Mitchell, Zane Myers, Richard Faakye, Thomas Woodward.