In a game of major importance at both ends of the Championship table, Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United will do battle in a Yorkshire Derby at Hillsborough on Saturday.
The hosts moved within touching distance of safety with a fourth straight win on Tuesday, while their visitors sit just two points outside of the top two in the midst of a fine run of their own.
Match preview
© Reuters
Sheffield Wednesday head into Friday's Yorkshire Derby in high spirits in their fight for Championship survival this term, having moved closer to safety with an eye-catching run of form under Danny Rohl.
After bouncing back from a dismal start to the campaign with a pleasing run to remain competitive in England's second tier late last year, the Owls had to endure another tough run between mid-January and mid-February, picking up one win and one draw from a six-match span and falling further adrift on 26 points from 32 outings.
Rohl's men have since rebounded in impressive fashion in recent weeks and return to action on Friday in the midst of a four-match winning streak - their best run of the campaign thus far - firstly triumphing 2-0 away at fellow strugglers Millwall and beating Bristol City 2-1 at Hillsborough thanks to Ike Ugbo's brace.
A trip to basement side Rotherham United then followed last weekend, and the Owls prevailed in a 1-0 victory with Ugbo again on the scoresheet, before they most recently welcomed Plymouth Argyle to Hillsborough for another six-pointer on Tuesday and stood strong for another victory and clean sheet, with Djeidi Gassama sealing their 11th victory of the campaign with the only goal of the game on the hour mark.
Now with plenty of momentum on their side and the gap to safety quickly reduced, now only trailing Plymouth, Blackburn Rovers and Millwall by two points and Stoke City, Huddersfield Town and Queens Park Rangers on goal difference, Sheffield Wednesday will bid to make it five straight wins on Friday with the chance to finally jump out of the bottom three with 10 league games to go this term.
© Reuters
That will be no easy task, though, as the visitors arrive in the midst of an eye-catching run of their own having gone 11 Championship matches unbeaten since the turn of the year.
Setting out to win automatic promotion back to the Premier League under the management of Daniel Farke, Leeds United suffered a pair of setbacks at the end of 2023 in defeats to Preston North End and West Bromwich Albion, falling further behind in the top-two race as a result, but they have since bounced back fiercely, starting with nine straight league wins to move into pole position.
Following dominant victories and clean sheets against Bristol City, Rotherham United, Swansea City and Plymouth Argyle, that streak culminated in a 3-1 triumph at home to league leaders Leicester City to strengthen their position in second spot in England's second tier, but that standing was lost at the weekend as the Whites' fine run was ended in a 1-1 draw with West Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town, having pulled level against 10 men in the second half through Patrick Bamford.
Having then dropped two points behind Ipswich Town once again in the race for promotion, Farke's men set out to return to winning ways at home to strugglers Stoke City on Tuesday, and they succeeded in doing so while doing Friday's hosts a favour, as Daniel James netted the only goal in the first half of a 1-0 triumph at Elland Road.
While still trailing in-form Ipswich by two points and leaders Leicester by five ahead of Friday's contest, Leeds United can certainly take plenty of confidence from their near-perfect run in the first two months of the New Year and will bid to climb into the automatic promotion spots, at least until Saturday's fixtures, with a second straight win and a first victory over rivals Sheffield Wednesday since 2019.
Team News
© Reuters
Given their impressive run of form, Danny Rohl should avoid making many changes to his Sheffield Wednesday starting XI on Friday, with Josh Windass and Callum Paterson remaining sidelined by injuries, although winger Ian Poveda will be unable to feature against his parent club.
In his place, Anthony Musaba should come in on the wing from the outset, with Tuesday's scorer Djeidi Gassama lining up on the other flank in support of Ike Ugbo, who has notched up six goals in nine Championship appearances since joining the Owls on loan from Troyes in January.
Elsehwere, Barry Bannan and Will Vaulks will continue in the engine room, while Di'Shon Bernard, Michael Ihiekwe and Dominic Iorfa should again line up at the heart of a back five.
Leeds United remain without Pascal Struijk and Stuart Dallas for their trip to Hillsborough on Friday, and Daniel Farke should field a similar starting XI to the one that beat Stoke City on Tuesday.
In Struijk's ongoing absence, Ethan Ampadu will again join Joe Rodon at the heart of a back four, with Welsh compatriot Connor Roberts again set to get the nod over Archie Gray at right-back, while Ilia Gruev and Glen Kamara are bound to partner up in midfield again.
There is certainly competition at the top end of their 4-2-3-1 shape, with Patrick Bamford again likely to lead the line over Joel Piroe, while Georginio Rutter is a star man in the middle of a supporting trio having notched up six goals and 13 assists in the league so far this term with Crysencio Summerville, Willy Gnonto and Daniel James competing to start on the wings.
Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Beadle; Valentin, Iorfa, Ihiekwe, Bernard, Johnson; Musaba, Vaulks, Bannan, Gassama; Ugbo
Leeds United possible starting lineup:
Meslier; Roberts, Ampadu, Rodon, Byram; Gruev, Kamara; James, Rutter, Summerville; Bamford
We say: Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Leeds United
Leeds United boast more quality throughout their ranks and have enjoyed the far stronger Championship season, but they are bound to face a tough test at Hillsborough on Friday against a resurgent Sheffield Wednesday side.
With both sides desperate for three points and full of confidence, and with the added stakes of a derby fixture, we predict a cagey encounter ending level in Sheffield.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
