Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom said his team need to be at their best to win in what promises to be an entertaining FA Cup 5th round tie against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Blades picked up a vital three points in their Championship promotion push on Saturday, seeing off Watford in a 1-0 win at Bramall Lane.
With attention now turning to the FA Cup, Heckingbottom said his side need to enjoy the task against high calibre opponents.
The former Leeds and Barnsley manager also spoke about illness in his squad, the magic of the cup and his last meeting against Spurs.
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On The Blades' team news
The Yorkshireman said that a bug has spread around the team which has left him at risk of not having his best team available.
The 45-year-old said that procedures brought in during the COVID-19 pandemic have helped to keep the numbers of players with the disease down.
He also said that Ciaran Clark's availability may well be touch-and-go ahead of kick off.
"Ciaran's [Ciaran Clark's] ill, we've got illness going through the camp at the minute, we've got a few missing and he's one of them that we've not got available today.
"We'll have to wait and see how everyone is tomorrow and then tomorrow we'll decide a team off the back of that.
"It's frustrating because we've just got a few bodies back, and with this tight schedule I know the type of team I'd like to pick, but we'll just have to wait and see now.
"If it's amongst us people are going to get it, we just have to deal with it, if they're fit enough and well enough they'll play, if not we'll just have to deal with it."
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On facing Tottenham
Heckingbottom said that his side would have to suffer without the ball for longer than usual in Championship ties, but will still need to present The Lilywhites with problems on the day if they want to win.
He said he did not expect Spurs to alter their shape or style much, having been unchanged in their last two outings, but side the quality of the North London club could instead provide a threat.
Heckingbottom also said that making specific plans to mark Harry Kane would only leave spaces free for other high quality players.
"How we will go about it will be the same in terms of how we manage our time and what the players have done today, but we know the opposition coming up is some of the best in the country.
"Nothing will change in how we do it but we certainly know the standard of opposition we face on Wednesday night is up there with the best.
"It's a tough game especially with the form they're in at the minute, we sort of know how to expect in how they play with the 3-4-3 or 5-4-1 out of possession.
"They're good with the ball, they're really good on the counter attack, they've got top front players who can score goals, all kinds of goals, like scoring goals from set plays.
"There's a threat in that way, like I said we know we're playing against some of the best, and defensively when they drop back in and deny you space we know its tough to break them down as well."
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On the FA Cup
United's boss made his admiration for the FA Cup clear when asked about his views on the trophy.
Whilst he admitted it is now harder for Championship clubs to win, he said it would take a team like Sheffield United to be victorious for EFL sides to believe it could be possible in the modern game.
"I hope and I think it's going to be a special night, we've enjoyed every cup game we've had this season.
"We've had a great game away at Millwall with a really good performance and I thought it was an important game for a lot of players.
"We've had two really exciting games against Wrexham which were really strange in their own way, and the magic of the cup meant there was a really good atmosphere.
"Distraction is the wrong word [to describe the FA Cup], but it was a good change from the league, I think you can see us approaching every game and you can see we want to win the games.
"On Wednesday it'll be no different other than the calibre of player and team we're against."
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On his last outing against Spurs
Last time Heckingbottom faced Tottenham, he was in interim charge of The Blades, and lost 4-0 to a Gareth Bale hat-trick and a Heung-Min Son strike.
He said the previous tie was a lesson that his side would need to learn in how clinical top sides can be.
"In the first half we were poor in that game, we didn't lay a glove on them, we weren't aggressive enough and then second half we were, we were on the front foot we were very strong.
"We got done with some real moments of quality and that probably a good example of what this game can be.
"They're going to have moments and it's how good those moments are and how good those players perform, it's down to us to limit those opportunities.
"In that particular game in the second half we were on top in terms of chances, territory and momentum but bang and goals have gone in and the game's gone away from us."
