Sheffield United are told what they must do the beat Tottenham Hotspur

Describing tomorrow’s visitors to Bramall Lane as one of “the best teams” in England, Paul Heckingbottom has admitted that work ethic alone will not be enough to end the Londoners’ hopes of reaching the quarter-finals.

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Insisting that his United squad will look to cause Antonio Conte’s men problems, despite being a tier below them on the footballing pyramid, Heckingbottom said: “They’ve got top players, we know that we’re going to be coming up against some of the best there is. So that means we have to be at our best with and also without the ball because there are going to be times when we’ll suffer. If we’re not at our best, both with it and without it, then we are going to get punished.”

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“But we also have to give them something to think about and I believe we can do that,” the United manager continued. “We have to be very clever about how we create our opportunities, though.”

United warmed-up for the fifth round tie by beating Watford last weekend; a result which saw them move seven points clear of the Championship’s third placed side and remain 12 behind leaders Burnley. Spurs overcame arch-rivals Chelsea 24 hours after United’s victory, with Harry Kane scoring one of their two goals.

“We know how they (Spurs) are going to play,” Heckingbottom said. “We know they are going to be 3-4-3 and then 5-4-1 out of possession. We know they’ve got top players, particularly the front lads.”

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