Sheffield Wednesday are set to host playoff-hunting Norwich City at Hillsborough Stadium on Tuesday evening for matchday 14 of the 2024-25 Championship season.
The hosts are 18th in the table with 15 points from 13 games, while the visitors are 10th in the standings with 18 points from their first 13 games.
Match preview
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Sheffield Weds booked their return to the second tier of English football for the first time since being relegated in 2020-21 when they won the League One playoffs in 2022-23, finishing third in the league before sensationally winning the playoffs.
The Owls lost their semifinal first leg 4-0 to Peterborough United, leaving them with little hope heading into the second leg at home, but a dramatic 5-1 victory sent the tie to penalties, with Sheffield Wednesday winning 5-3 in the shootout.
They followed that up with another tense affair as the Owls remained locked at 0-0 with Barnsley at Wembley until stoppage time of extra time, when Josh Windass scored in the 123rd minute to secure promotion to the Championship.
Their first year back in the second division was difficult for Sheffield Weds, but they would have ultimately been pleased to extend their stay in the Championship for another year as they placed in 20th, three points above the drop zone.
Danny Rohl's men would have been aiming to climb further away from the relegation zone ahead of this campaign, but a mixed start to the season leaves them just three points ahead of 22nd-placed Plymouth Argyle.
Rohl's side were devastatingly defeated 6-2 in their most recent match against Watford, and the Sheffield Weds faithful will be hoping for a significantly improved performance on Tuesday.
The visitors could prove to be tough visitors for Sheffield Wednesday, with Norwich sitting 10th in the table and just three points behind sixth-placed West Bromwich Albion.
However, Norwich have struggled in their recent outings, failing to win any of their last four matches, drawing to Stoke City, Preston North End and Middlesbrough and losing 2-1 to Cardiff City in their last match.
Johannes Thorup, who took charge of the Canaries in July 2024, will be hopeful of ending that streak against Sheffield Weds on Tuesday, especially given his team are undefeated in the last six meetings, including four wins in that spell.
Team News
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Following the humiliating 6-2 defeat to Watford in their last game, Rohl could opt to return to his favoured 3-4-3 system with Pol Valentin returning on the right.
Ben Hamer, Michael Ihiekwe, Nathaniel Chalobah and Olaf Kobacki are all ruled out for Sheffield Weds due to ongoing injury issues, while Akin Famewo is also a doubt.
As for the visitors, Angus Gunn, Anis Ben Slimane, Ashley Barnes, Liam Gibbs, Marcelino Nunez and Onel Hernandez are all out of the match due to injury concerns, while Kenny McLean is out due to suspension.
Joshua Sargent is also out due to a muscle injury, meaning Ante Crnac could continue to lead the line as a makeshift striker.
Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Beadle; Valery, Bernard, Iorfa; Valentin, Charles, Bannan, Johnson; Musaba, Smith, Windass
Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Long; Fisher, Duffy, Cordoba, Doyle; Sorensen, Forsyth; Schwartau, Marcondes, Sainz; Crnac
We say: Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Norwich City
Both sides have faced difficulties in recent outings, with Sheffield Weds losing 6-2 at home last time out, while the visitors have failed to win any of their last four, and we expect their struggles to continue with a draw here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
