Two Championship teams in desperate need of three points will lock horns at Hillsborough this week, as Sheffield Wednesday host Rotherham United in a crucial relegation battle.
The Owls have lost their last four league matches while the Millers have lost their last five, although they currently sit one place above Wednesday, who now have a new head coach at the helm.
Match preview
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Sheffield Wednesday announced the appointment of Doncaster Rovers manager Darren Moore this week.
The 46-year-old, who had been in charge of the League One outfit since July 2019, succeeds Tony Pulis, who was sacked in December, with Neil Thompson having been in interim charge for the last two months.
Moore stated that the "opportunity was too much to resist" and he has decided to leave a club challenging for promotion in the third tier for the Owls, who currently sit second bottom of the Championship, six points from safety.
Wednesday will be hoping that Moore will make an immediate impact with the club who have lost their last four matches, including a 3-2 defeat away at Luton Town last weekend, a game which they led at half time 2-0.
The Owls have lacked goals throughout this campaign, having scored just 23 times so far, the joint-fewest along with basement club Wycombe Wanderers.
Moore's task of keeping Wednesday in the Championship will be a challenging one but a victory in midweek would get him and his side off to a good start and could see the Owls move three points behind Birmingham City, who sit just above the drop zone.
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Rotherham lost their fourth successive league match by a 1-0 scoreline as they were defeated by promotion hopefuls Reading last weekend.
Manager Paul Warne stated that his side "weren't good enough in the final third" and bemoaned several missed chances to snatch at least a point from the game.
The Millers went home empty handed for the 18th time this campaign and they remain inside the bottom three, one point above the Owls.
Rotherham can take some confidence into their clash with Sheffield Wednesday, having already beaten them 3-0 in October earlier this campaign.
The Millers are looking to complete a league double over the Owls for the first time and a win could move them two points behind Birmingham.
Sheffield Wednesday Championship form: LWLLLL
Rotherham United Championship form: WLLLLL
Team News
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Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Liam Shaw is available after serving a two-match suspension for his red card against Birmingham City.
Goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith is expected to start with Kieran Westwood unavailable with a broken rib, while midfielder Massimo Luongo is ruled out for up to six weeks with a thigh problem.
Darren Moore used a 4-2-3-1 formation throughout the campaign with Doncaster and may decide to use the same system in midweek.
Rotherham will be without Michael Ihiekwe, who is to serve the final game of his two-match suspension, while club captain Richard Wood is still out with a groin injury.
Defender Clark Robertson has been ruled out for a month with a hamstring injury sustained against Reading, which could see Wes Harding fill in at centre-back alongside Angus MacDonald.
Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Wildsmith; Palmer, Lees, Borner, Penney; Bannan, Hutchinson; Harris, Brown, Reach; Rhodes
Rotherham United possible starting lineup:
Johansson; Olosunde, Harding, A. MacDonald, Giles; Wing, Barlaser, S. MacDonald; Crooks, Ladapo, Smith
We say: Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 Rotherham United
A turnaround in form is desperately needed for both sides who are at risk of moving further adrift at the bottom if their miserable runs of form continue.
With Darren Moore hoping to put his stamp on his new Sheffield Wednesday squad immediately, we feel a manager bounce could be on the cards, with the hosts to edge out Rotherham at Hillsborough.
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Rotherham United win with a probability of 35.5%. A win for Sheffield Wednesday had a probability of 34.58% and a draw had a probability of 29.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Rotherham United win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.93%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (7.16%) and 0-2 (6.86%). The likeliest Sheffield Wednesday win was 1-0 (12.71%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.49%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 7.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Rotherham United would win this match.
