Sheffield United's David McGoldrick will not complain about the fixture list having finally made it to the Premier League
Saturday's game at home to Chelsea will be the Blades' eighth since English football resumed on June 17.
It is the sort of workload McGoldrick and co are used to from their Championship days, but the intensity of the Premier League is that much greater. They might have to get used to it, though, with the Blades on course to qualify for next season's Europa League.
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Hide Ad“A lot of us are used to it because we played in the lower leagues but this is a bit different, we're not complaining,” said striker McGoldrick. “We've all been fighting all our lives to play in the Premier League so no one is going to complain about playing a couple of games a week.
“It's down to us, we've got some tough games but no game is easy.
“We're a match for anyone on our day and we're where we are on merit, we have to have belief and anything can happen.”
Before this season only Phil Jagielka, Lys Mousset, Jack Robinson, Jack Rodwell, Ravel Morrison and Mo Besic had started a Premier League match. Morrison and Besic have since left having featured little and Robinson, who like Rodwell only joined in January, made his solitary Liverpool appearance in April 2011.
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Hide AdDespite that, the Blades will go into Saturday's game seventh in the table unless Burnley pull off a surprise win at Liverpool in the earlier kick-off. There are various connotations depending on who wins the FA Cup and whether Manchester City successfully appeal their two-year European ban (a decision is expected on Monday), but that should be enough to qualify for Europe for the first time in the club's history if they can hold onto it in the four remaining matches.
It will be difficult against a Chelsea side trying to qualify for the Champions League but having drawn 2-2 at Stamford Bridge in August, McGoldrick says the Blades have nothing to fear.
“They're a good team with a good young manager (Frank Lampard),” said the Republic of Ireland international. “They've got some world-class players and their forwards are on their A-game at the minute.
“We were 2-0 down there and came back there, which gave us massive confidence. Take that into Saturday and you never know what will happen.”
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