Tom Cairney warns Fulham what to expect from Sheffield United test after highlighting ‘old’ spine

Tom Cairney, the Fulham captain, has warned his teammates to expect a “tough” game against struggling Sheffield United tomorrow, insisting that the Blades’ 8-0 humiliation to Newcastle United last month could motivate them to not suffer the same fate again. The Blades travel to Craven Cottage bottom of the Premier League table and still looking for their first win of the campaign.

They will face a Fulham side coming off the back of a disappointing result of their own, after their 2-0 derby-day defeat to Chelsea on Monday evening. The Blades have had two extra days of recovery, having lost at West Ham on Saturday afternoon, and are determined to get that first three points on the board and go into the upcoming international break with a renewed sense of confidence.

“It’ll be a tough, tough game,” Cairney said in the build-up. “Everyone’s seen the result they had against Newcastle, sometimes you get those freak results in the Premier League. Bournemouth did last year against Liverpool, they lost 9-0 and everyone tipped them to have a really bad season and they ended up having a really good one.

“Any Premier League team is going to be hard to beat but we have to look at ourselves and hopefully go into the international break on the back of a win. It [the Newcastle defeat] has got to affect your confidence a bit, it has to. It’s a big defeat but it can inspire them to work hard and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

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Now 32 and a veteran of this Fulham side, Cairney - a former Blades transfer target - has faced United on several occasions in both the Championship and Premier League and knows the challenge that poses. “When I’ve played against them in the past they’ve always been a hard team to play against, so I don’t think Saturday will be any different,” he added.

“The spine of the team is quite old, they’ve been there a while and are very experienced in both divisions. Which I think you need. But we’ve got to concentrate on ourselves, and it’s a game we’re looking to get three points from.”