Sheffield Wednesday will endeavour to climb out of the Championship relegation zone when they welcome Swansea City to Hillsborough on Good Friday.
The Owls will be seeking revenge against the Swans after they suffered a 3-0 defeat in South Wales the last time that these two teams met in September last year.
Match preview
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Following an impressive and much-needed four-game winning run between mid-February and early March, Sheffield Wednesday have since been brought back down to earth after losing successive games against Leeds United and Ipswich Town, suffering a heavy 6-0 away defeat to the latter before the international break.
The Owls were four goals down inside the first 49 minutes at Portman Road, before Ali Al-Hamadi rubbed salt into their wounds with two late goals to condemn Danny Rohl to his heaviest defeat as a manager.
All hope is not lost for 23rd-placed Sheffield Wednesday, though, as they are only one point adrift of safety and have a strong chance of ending the weekend outside of the relegation zone, if they come out on top against Swansea and other results go their way.
The international break has been a period for Rohl and co to reflect and regroup ahead of their final eight Championship games of the season, and they enter this crucial stage in the season aware that their home form could be key in their quest to avoid the drop, considering that they have picked up 25 of their 38 points at Hillsborough so far this term.
Sheffield Wednesday have won their previous three home league matches on Good Friday, but success is not a given against Swansea as they have failed to win any of their last five meetings with the Welsh outfit.
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In contrast to the Owls, Swansea entered the international break on a high after beating rivals Cardiff City 2-0 on home soil, courtesy of goals either side of half time from Liam Cullen and Jamal Lowe.
The Swans' derby delight represents just the fifth win under head coach Luke Williams since he took the reins in January, and with 10 points accumulated across their last five matches, the Welsh side have climbed up to 15th in the table, seven points clear of the bottom three.
Williams is aware that his side cannot rest on their laurels just yet, as there is still plenty of work to be done to preserve their Championship status for a seventh successive season, but they now appear to be in a strong position to survive, especially with favourable-looking fixtures against Sheffield Wednesday, Queens Park Rangers, Rotherham United, Stoke City and Huddersfield Town on the horizon.
Swansea head into Friday's contest having won only two of their last 10 away games in all competitions, but they came out on top in their last visit to Hillsborough, winning 2-0 in April 2021 – the Swans have never won consecutive visits to the Owls in their league history.
Team News
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Sheffield Wednesday will be without Josh Windass (muscle), Callum Paterson (knee,) Kristian Pedersen (leg) and Juan Delgado (hip) as they all continue to recover from injury.
Ian Poveda is also sidelined after picking up a muscle injury against Ipswich prior to the international break, while Barry Bannan, who was forced off in the same game with a muscle problem of his own, is doubtful and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Rohl may consider reverting to a five-man defence, which could see Pol Valentin recalled at right wing-back and Bambo Diaby return at centre-back to play alongside Michael Ihiekwe and Di'Shon Bernard, while 18-year-old Bailey Cadamarteri will be pushing to start in attack.
As for Swansea, Kyle Naughton pulled his hamstring in the win over Cardiff before the international break, and he joins Ben Cabango, Harrison Ashby, Josh Ginnelly (all muscle) and Liam Walsh (calf) in the treatment room.
Mykola Kukharevych has been sidelined since February with an unspecified injury, but the striker could be in a position to return to the matchday squad on Friday.
However, a front four or Ronald, Jamie Patterson, Przemyslaw Placheta and Cullen is set to remain intact, while Jay Fulton and Charlie Patino will battle with Joe Allen for a start in centre-midfield alongside Matt Grimes.
Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Beadle; Valentin, B. Diaby, Famewo, Bernard, Johnson; Musaba, M. Diaby, Vaulks, Gassama; Ugbo
Swansea City possible starting lineup:
Rushworth; Key, Darling, Wood, Tymon; Fulton, Grimes; Ronald, Paterson, Placheta; Cullen
We say: Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Swansea City
Securing maximum points would provide a huge boost for either side heading down the home straight, but taking into account the reverse fixture and their results prior to the international break, we feel that Swansea will do enough to claim a slender victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
