However, according to manager Simon Davey, that does not necessarily have to be regarded as a problem.

For what better incentive do players need than securing a place in one of the biggest games ever likely to come their way?

A threat of relegation still hangs in the air at Oakwell so the Tykes cannot afford to disregard any of their remaining eight league games. But when the opposition is a fierce local rival in the shape of Sheffield United, there should be no danger of that happening.

Davey, who has yet to win a local derby as a manager, has told his players that no-one is guaranteed a place in the semi-final against Cardiff City on April 6. That effectively transforms today's game and next week's trip to Burnley into the 'final auditions'.

"Reputations count for nothing," says Davey. "If my players want to play at Wembley, they will need to show me that they are in form. We are not safe from relegation yet and probably need another six points from the 24 available to put that right. We have to treat every game as a 'must-win' and get those points on the board as quickly as possible."

Barnsley captain Brian Howard, however, will have to temper his aggression in the next two games to avoid the yellow card that could result in suspension for Wembley.

Defender Rob Kozluk, who joined Barnsley after being released by Sheffield United last summer, will also have to keep control of his tongue.

Kozluk, a celebrated dressing room joker, has been on the phone to Blades captain Chris Morgan this week ruffling feathers.

Morgan, a former Barnsley defender who has not been back to Oakwell to play a first team game since departing five years ago, said: "Kozzie was his usual self, stirring things up, saying things like 'your season's over, we are going to Wembley' and stuff like that!

"I told him that he wants to watch what he says if he wants to play at Wembley! I might accidentally bundle him into the back of a net!"

The Blades moved four points clear of Barnsley last weekend when registering a third consecutive win over Norwich.

If they make it four wins on the spin, it will be their best sequence of results since September 2005 (when they recorded eight consecutive victories on the way to promotion) and will keep alive a slim hope of making the play-offs.

Barnsley will be looking to maintain one of the best home records in the league – buoyed by the extension of goalkeeper Luke Steele's loan deal from West Bromwich until the end of the season.

As reported, Barnsley have also agreed to sign Steele on a free transfer in the summer and will provide Albion with 50 per cent of any future sell on fee.

From Davey's point of view, the deal has guaranteed that Barnsley will have two top-class goalkeepers fighting for a shirt at the start of next season when Heinz Muller, the German who had been linked with a move to the Premier League, recovers from a knee injury.

Davey said: "Both Luke and Heinz are goalkeepers with Premier League potential. Since I took over, we have been lacking competition of that calibre for the No 1 spot."

After five games in the space of two weeks, Davey granted his players extra time off this week to re-charge their batteries in the hope that it will result in a freshness of performance today.

"They needed to rest," he said. "We have had a lot of matches in the last month and everything surrounding the Liverpool and Chelsea games has taken a lot out of them both mentally and physically. I am sure we will be right back at it for this game."

Although the Blades signed defender John Halls on loan from Reading last week, manager Kevin Blackwell has ruled out the possibility of further captures before next week's transfer deadline.

"Competition for places is red hot and it is not advisable to get sent off or injured because you might not get back in.

"I still haven't seen five or six of our existing players in the first team," he added. "Ideally, I want to do that but the players who are in the team now will only lose the shirts through poor displays or bad attitudes. How can I change a team that is playing so well? They have made my job easy."

Club record signing James Beattie has lost his place to
Rob Hulse due to a week off with a groin injury and Stephen Quinn, impressive at the start of Blackwell's reign, cannot get back in after serving a three-match ban for violent conduct.