In the build up to our fixture with Estudiantes, United consultant Carly Barnes, the instigator of the relationship between the clubs, has flown out to Argentina with colleague Karl Allen to help with final preparations. She has reported back to us on her experience so far and the final preparations:
"They say no pain no gain, and that's certainly the case after a 20 hour flight via Amsterdam, Chicago and Washington, before finally arriving in Buenos Aires. I'm a little bleary eyed and dishevelled, but excited to be here for the final preparations for the Estudiantes trip that we at United have worked on for over a year.
"I was greeted by International Director, Sergio Neveleff, and whisked off to the Estudiantes Golf and Country club for lunch with the Board of Directors. La Plata is a town approximately 40 minutes away from Buenos Aires... depending upon the traffic! The golf club is really impressive and is where the team training facilities are based.
"After an introduction to the Board of Directors, we were joined for mouth-wateringly tender steak and red wine by Estudiantes legend, Oscar Malbernat. Oscar was part of Estudiantes' greatest ever side - the 1968 team who won the Intercontinental Cup, beating Manchester United. Oscar is an absolute hero here and it's a great honour to dine with him at the club he achieved so much with.
"Oscar is looking forward to visiting Sheffield United and will be heading the delegation. It is the first time he has visited England since the 1968 win at Old Trafford! Estudiantes are rightly proud of Oscar Malbernat and I explain how he is to Estudiantes what Tony Currie is to SUFC. I hope they meet at the match.
"After hearing some great stories about the 1968 victory and Oscar's fond memories of 'the rock star' George Best amongst others, we head to the training facilities opposite the golf club.
"Oscar gave us a tour of the facilities, including Juan Sebastian Veron's room. The room has a great view of the first team pitch but was surprisingly basic without all the trappings you would expect for a world-class international, but this is the philosophy here - everybody has the same; the same blanket, one towel with the room number and so forth. The only way you could tell this was Veron's room was that there was a witch hanging from the ceiling light - Veron's nickname is La Brujita or the little witch. His father, also a legendary player here, and who we hope will be coming to watch the match is called 'La Bruja' or 'the witch' - maybe he will explain this title to us at Bramall Lane.
"On our walk down the corridor we ran into the man himself - Alex Sabella - and after a friendly greeting, Alex kindly took us down to see his room. This was clearly the manager's room - hundreds of DVD's and football books on the table, from a book on Italian football through to a biography about Mourinho. Alex Sabella is clearly still hungry to learn more. To the great surprise of the directors, Alex recited his full address, including postcode, from his Sheffield days - I won't recite them here but he mentions it in his interview which is serialized on sufc.co.uk this week. We let him know how much we are looking forward to his return to the Lane and that he will be given a hero's welcome. It is only when talking to people here in Argentina that you understand quite what he has achieved.
"Estudiantes is a relatively small club in Argentina and his achievements in winning the Copa Libertadores (South America's Champions League equivalent) and being runners-up to Barcelona in the World Cup of Clubs is huge, and the directors of Estudiantes describe him as the Alex Ferguson of South American football. I hope he is given a really special reception at the Lane because he is clearly still fond of SUFC, and it will be great to honour his achievements with a warm welcome.
"We were then shown the training facilities and a great source of pride for the directors - the indoor swimming pool and sauna. It is apparently the only one in Argentina and they are very proud of it. The outdoor pool, however, to a non-footballer is even more impressive - it's huge - if only we had the weather for that in Sheffield!
"The whole set up here is very different to the UK. It's a social club with lots of different sports - tennis, hockey, golf, swimming and even its own school. The players have rooms here and there are lots of social activities such as darts, billiards etc. They are surprised that Sheffield United players live apart and that there are no other sports but football at the academy. That's the immediate difference that hits me.
"Facilities here are more basic than the UK but the sheer size of the facilities is impressive and it's obvious why the directors are so proud of them. We then met the assistant coach - Guillermo Trama - who seemed really nice and excited about the visit. We will meet again to discuss training and dietary requirements etc.
"During our tour, I receive a text from England with the result of the Rotherham match. I discuss this with International Director, Sergio Neveleff, and he notes that Daniel Bogdanovic has banged in another penalty and he knows all about impressive new signing Johnny Ertl. Estudiantes are following all the SUFC news on the web closely from friendly matches through to all the Estudiantes news - forum users may also be interested to know that Estudiantes have been reading all the fans comments and the positive comments have been really well received."
The Estudiantes fixture kicks off at 4pm on Sunday and the prices are...
Season Ticket Holders: £10 (adults), £8 (concessions) and £5 (under 16s), Family Ticket (2 adults and 2 juniors) £23
General sale: £15 (adults), £10 (concessions), £5 (under 16s), Family Ticket (2 adults and 2 juniors) £33
Tickets can be purchased in person at the Ticket Office, over the telephone on 0871 995 1889 or online.
All ticket sales are subject to availability. Please book early to avoid disappointment.
