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Ipswich logo
Championship
May 3, 2014 at 12.15pm UK
 
Sheffield Wednesday logo

2-1

Smith (37'), Green (67')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Lee (55')

Preview: Ipswich Town vs. Sheffield Wednesday

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship meeting between Ipswich and Sheffield Wednesday at Portman Road.

Having lingered around the playoffs for the majority of the season, Ipswich Town go into the final day with nothing to fight for after a dip in form at the worst possible time.

Sheffield Wednesday are the visitors to Portman Road on Saturday in a match that could well have an end-of-season feel to it with only a slightly improved league position to fight for on both sides.

Ipswich could still end the campaign as high as eighth in the table and just two points off the top six, but a three-match winless streak has put paid to their hopes of finishing in the playoffs.

Still, it has been a decent campaign for the Tractor Boys and they will now be looking to continue their improvement next season in order to go one better and finish in the top six.

Mick McCarthy's men have been particularly impressive at home this season and go into Saturday's match having lost just one of their last nine games at Portman Road.

David McGoldrick will once again be forced to sit out through injury, while Anthony Wordsworth and Paul Anderson could join him on the sidelines.

Wednesday, meanwhile, have been safe from the drop for a while now but will be unhappy with their recent form having picked up just two wins in their last nine games.

Having struggled against the threat of relegation in the early part of the season, the Owls flew up the table under Stuart Gray and will want to produce a good end to a campaign that has turned out a lot better than many would have expected.

They have lost two games in a row, however, and defensively are beginning to unravel having conceded 20 goals in their last seven outings.

Their goal difference is still better than the two teams in their immediate vicinity, however, meaning that victory could see them leapfrog Yorkshire rivals Leeds United into 15th place.

Away from home, Good Friday's 4-2 win over Bournemouth was Wednesday's first victory on the road in six matches - a run that included defeats to struggling Yeovil Town and Doncaster Rovers.

Sam Hutchinson remains suspended so will play no part, while Rafael Floro and Anthony Gardner are long-term injury absentees for the Owls.

Recent form

Ipswich: LWWLDL

Sheff Weds: LDDWLL

Possible starting lineups

Ipswich: Gerken; Chambers, Berra, Smith, Cresswell; Nouble, Skuse, Hyam, Hunt; Williams; Murphy

Sheff Weds: Kirkland; Buxton, Loovens, Onyewu, Mattock; Maguire, Palmer, Lee, Coke, Antonio; Nuhiu

Sports Mole says: 1-1


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Stuart Gray manager of Sheffield Wednesday looks on during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United at Hillsborough Stadium on January 11, 2014
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