Two sides who ended 2023 on a high note will endeavour to keep the momentum going in a New Year's Day Championship clash, as Sheffield Wednesday welcome Yorkshire rivals Hull City to Hillsborough.
The Owls overcame Preston North End 1-0 on Friday evening, while their visitors also snapped a two-game losing streak in a 3-2 beating of Blackburn Rovers.
Match preview
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Clean sheets had been in short supply for Sheffield Wednesday before a trip to Preston's Deepdale headquarters on Friday evening, but Owls manager Danny Rohl could only wax lyrical about his side's defensive solidity after a hard-earned one-goal triumph.
Marvin Johnson's 27th-minute strike made the difference for a Sheffield Wednesday side who had just 31% of the ball at Deepdale, but they limited Preston to a mere nine attempts - three of which were on target - to close the calendar year in perfect fashion.
Rohl nevertheless admitted that his side rode their luck on a couple of occasions, and the 23rd-placed Owls remain embroiled in relegation danger as they lie eight points adrift of safety, but 22nd-placed Queens Park Rangers are now only two points better off than Monday's hosts.
The Hillsborough faithful will look back fondly on the month of December, in which their side accrued 12 of the 19 Championship points they have earned so far this season, and they have failed to score in just one of their last nine matches in the second tier.
Monday's game will also mark the ninth time in a row that Sheffield Wednesday have played a New Year's Day fixture on home soil, although they have just three wins to show from their previous eight such contests and now meet a side sitting pretty above a desired rather than dreaded dotted line.
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Back-to-back losses to Bristol City and Sunderland meant that Hull were hardly walking in a winter wonderland over the Christmas period, and their hard work against Blackburn would seemingly count for little, as they threw away a Liam Delap and Aaron Connolly-inspired two-goal lead thanks to efforts from Sammie Szmodics and Harry Pickering.
A low-key second half was to be expected after the frenetic four-goal affair in the opening 45 minutes, but the Tigers' late collapse in the first period would not prove fatal, as Alfie Jones netted the game's fifth and final goal just after the hour mark to settle a chaotic contest.
Liam Rosenior refused to downplay the significance of Friday's triumph, hailing Hull's victory as their most important of the season so far as they begin 2024 in the fourth and final playoff position in the table, two points clear of Sunderland thanks to the Black Cats' failure to beat Rotherham United.
The next item on Rosenior's in-tray is improving a measly record of just one win from Hull's last five away contests, during which the Tigers have shipped 11 goals at an average of just over two per game, but they have won all three of their Yorkshire derbies away from home on New Year's Day.
One of those victories was a 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on January 1, 2020, and the Tigers made it four triumphs on the bounce against the Owls at the MKM Stadium in August, prevailing 4-2 thanks in no small part to an Ozan Tufan treble.
Team News
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Having previously lost Bambo Diaby to a red card against Coventry City on Boxing Day - the defender will serve the second of a three-game ban this week - Sheffield Wednesday also saw George Byers dismissed in confusing circumstances during the win over Preston.
Byers was reportedly given his marching orders for an off-the-ball incident with Mads Frokjaer-Jensen after referee Rebecca Welch had initially waved play on from a tackle, leaving Rohl bemused, and he now stands to serve a three-game suspension unless Wednesday succeed with an appeal.
In more negative news, Akin Famewo and Will Vaulks sustained hamstring injuries in the first half at Deepdale - joining Callum Paterson (concussion), John Buckley (shoulder), Mallik Wilks (muscle), Dominic Iorfa (leg) and Mohamed Diaby (leg) in the medical bay - but Rohl has affirmed that the club will do everything they can to get the former two fit for Monday.
In contrast, Hull came out of their thrilling win over Blackburn with no new injury or suspension concerns, but goalkeeper Ryan Allsop could not contribute due to his back problem and will likely sit out the trip to Sheffield too.
Ruben Vinagre (hamstring), Jaden Philogene (knee) and Dogukan Sinik (knee) are also out of contention for the Tigers, who at least had captain Lewie Coyle at their disposal on Friday following an ankle scare for the right-back.
Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Dawson, Bernard, Palmer, Ihiekwe, Johnson; Bannan, Bakinson, Valentin; Musaba, Cadamarteri, Gassama
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Ingram; Coyle, Jones, Greaves, Slater; Seri, Morton; Delap, Tufan, Traore; Connolly
We say: Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Hull City
Credit where credit is due for Sheffield Wednesday's admirable defensive display against Preston, and the festive period as a whole breathed new life into the hosts' survival fight.
However, with two new injuries and an additional suspension to factor in for New Year's Day, the Owls could be set for a rude awakening against Hull, who are riding the crest of the wave from a sensational beating of Blackburn and are no strangers to victory in this Yorkshire derby.
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Top tip
Ben Knapton
