Swansea City are set to travel to Hillsborough Stadium on Tuesday evening to face Sheffield Wednesday, aiming to snap their four-game winless streak in the Championship.
The hosts are 18th in the table with 11 points from 10 outings, while the visitors are 13th in the division with 12 points from their first 10 fixtures.
Match preview
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Sheffield Wednesday earned promotion back to the Championship after two seasons in League One in 2022-23, completing a remarkable playoff run that saw them overturn a 4-0 first-leg deficit to beat Peterborough United on penalties following a 5-1 second-leg victory, and then edging out Barnsley 1-0 in the final after extra time.
The Owls endured an extremely difficult start to life back in the second division, failing to win any of their first 13 league games, a run that saw the dismissal of Xisco Munoz from the managerial position.
Danny Rohl was appointed manager 10 games into the 2023-24 campaign, and although he lost five of his first six matches, the German eventually transformed Sheffield Wednesday's fortunes, guiding them out of the relegation zone with a brilliant run of four wins and two draws in their final six games.
Rohl and the club aimed to distance themselves from a potential relegation battle this year, and a phenomenal 4-0 win against Plymouth Argyle on the opening day saw them get off to a promising start.
However, four defeats and a draw in their next five league matches saw them drop to 22nd in the table, but a recent resurgence, featuring two wins, a draw, and a loss in their last four, has lifted them to 18th.
Despite a 2-0 defeat to Burnley in their last outing, Rohl can take encouragement from a strong performance against the Championship leaders, with Sheffield Wednesday unfortunate not to score after generating 1.50 expected goals (xG) compared to Burnley's 1.71 xG.
The Owls will now aim to bounce back with a victory against Swansea City, who are coming into this game having faced difficulties in recent outings, including a four-game winless run.
The Swans enjoyed a largely positive opening to their 2024-25 campaign with four wins, three losses and one draw across all competitions, leaving them seventh in the Championship after six league games.
However, their form has taken a turn in recent outings, with a 1-1 draw against Bristol City marking the beginning of a four-game winless run, suffering two losses and two draws in that time.
Not only have the Swans gone winless during this stretch, but Luke Williams's side have also failed to score in their last three matches, a drought Williams will be eager to end in this game.
Swansea will be boosted by their recent dominance in this fixture, having remained undefeated in the last six encounters with Sheffield Wednesday, winning three and drawing three.
Team News
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The hosts will remain without Ben Hamer, who is yet to make an appearance for the club since joining from Watford in the summer due to an injury he sustained in July.
Nathaniel Chalobah is also out for this game with a muscle injury he picked up in late September, with the midfielder not expected to return until early next month.
Despite losing to Burnley in their last match, Rohl may field a similar lineup for this game after a largely commendable performance against the league leaders.
Swansea will be without Ji-Sung Eom, Andrew Fisher and Josh Ginnelly for this match due to injury issues, though the latter two are likely to return later this month.
After failing to score in any of their last three matches, Williams may choose to name a changed attacking lineup in search of that elusive goal, with Zan Vipotnik as one option to lead the line.
Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Beadle; Valery, Bernard, Famewo; Valentin, Charles, Bannan, Johnson; Gassama, Kobacki; Ugbo
Swansea City possible starting lineup:
Vigouroux; Key, Cabango, Darling, Tymon; Franco, Grimes; Ronald, Cooper, Bianchini; Vipotnik
We say: Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Swansea City
Although Sheffield Wednesday sit lower in the table than their opponents, their recent performances have been significantly stronger than Swansea's, leading us to believe they will secure a victory in this match.
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