Sheffield Wednesday will welcome Leganes to Hillsborough on Saturday for both teams' final friendlies before the beginning of the 2024-25 season.
The hosts kick off their Championship campaign next Saturday following a pre-season trip to Austria, while the visitors head to Osasuna for their La Liga curtain-raiser in mid-August following last season's promotion.
Match preview
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Sheffield Wednesday return to Hillsborough on Saturday a week before raising the curtain on their second consecutive Championship campaign in search of a second victory of their pre-season preparations.
The Owls looked set to be preparing for another League One promotion bid in the 2024-25 term, having sat in the relegation zone of England's second tier for almost the entirety of last season, only to steer clear of the drop in eye-catching fashion under Danny Rohl's tutelage, going unbeaten in their final six outings, including three straight victories to end the season, to finish 20th on 53 points, three above the bottom three.
The South Yorkshire outfit then began their preparations for the new campaign with a trip to sixth-tier Alfreton Town in early July, picking up a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Josh Windass and Mallik Wilks, before travelling to Austria and suffering a 4-0 beating at the hands of 17-time domestic champions Red Bull Salzburg.
Rohl's men concluded that trip with a contest against German side Werder Bremen last Friday and played out a creditable 2-2 draw in Tyrol, coming from 2-0 down in the second half thanks to goals from Anthony Musaba and Djeidi Gassama.
Now heading into their final pre-season test before kicking off their new Championship term at home to Plymouth Argyle next Saturday with the aim of putting a stronger campaign together, Sheffield Wednesday will be keen to bow out with a home win to build confidence following a busy summer of arrivals.
Their visitors, meanwhile, also enter a final outing of their pre-season run in preparation for their return to La Liga in the upcoming 2024-25 term.
Following their relegation from Spain's top flight in 2020 and a pair of disappointing second-tier finishes, Leganes punched their ticket back into La Liga last time around by topping the Segunda Division, collecting 74 points from their 42 outings having leapfrogged previous leaders Real Valladolid with a final-day victory.
They returned to action in a trip to France to meet Nice in mid-July and played out a 2-2 draw thanks to goals from Diego Garcia and Roberto Lopez, before most recently taking on Alcorcon last week and suffering a disappointing 2-1 defeat, having initially fallen two goals behind before Seydouba Cisse halved the deficit from the penalty spot nine minutes from time.
Now travelling to South Yorkshire for their final scheduled friendly, Leganes will be keen to put a win on the board before returning to top-flight action later this month.
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Team News
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Danny Rohl should field a full-strength Sheffield Wednesday starting XI in their final friendly before the Championship season on Saturday, and Liam Palmer is bound to feature from the outset in defence with the game doubling up as his Owls testimonial.
The Owls have bolstered their squad with several summer additions, and Nathaniel Chalobah and Svante Ingelsson will both fight to feature in midfield while Jamal Lowe and Olaf Kobacki will hope to turn out in the attack.
Anthony Musaba, Djeidi Gassama and Josh Windass also have claims to start in support of a front man, while Di'Shon Bernard, who extended his stay at Hillsborough in the summer, should star at the heart of the defence with new arrival Max Lowe competing to start on the left-hand side.
Leganes should also hand opportunities to their summer signings on Saturday with the start of the La Liga campaign in mind, with Miguel de la Fuente bound to lead the attack having made his loan switch from Alaves permanent after helping fire them to promotion last time around with 13 goals.
Valentin Rosier and Enric Franquesa, who joined from Besiktas and Levante respectively, should line up on either side of the defence, while Sergio Gonzalez and Jorge Saenz will remain key men at the heart of a back four.
Roberto Lopez has already notched up a first goal for the club in their 2-2 draw with Nice, after departing Real Sociedad over the summer, and he will lend further support to the attack with Diego Garcia again likely to partner De la Fuente.
Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Beadle; Palmer, Bernard, Iorfa, Lowe; Ingelsson, Bannan; Musaba, Windass, Gassama; Lowe
Leganes possible starting lineup:
Soriano; Rosier, Saenz, Gonzalez, Franquesa; Cruz, Lopez, Brasanac, Aviles; De La Fuente, Garcia
We say: Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Leganes
Saturday's meeting promises to be an intriguing one, and we expect a tight affair at Hillsborough.
Having enjoyed success last season and strengthened with La Liga football in mind, we back Leganes to outclass their hosts and come out on top in South Yorkshire.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
