Preview: Sheffield Wednesday vs. Watford – team news and lineups

Sheffield Wednesday and Watford will meet at Hillsborough on Saturday, both looking for back-to-back victories in their pursuit of the Championship’s top six.

With an away win last Friday, the hosts moved up to 13th place, while their visitors moved level on points with sixth-placed Blackburn Rovers after their own win last time out.

Match preview

Sheffield Wednesday return to Championship action on Saturday, looking to move closer to the playoffs after winning last weekend and impressing in the EFL Cup on Tuesday.

After avoiding relegation late last season, the South Yorkshire club has shown encouraging signs in their first full season under Danny Rohl’s management, currently sitting 13th with 15 points from 12 games.

Returning from the October international break with three wins and four defeats, they went on to lose at home to promotion-chasing Burnley and play out a goalless draw with Swansea City before winning at Portsmouth last Friday, with Josh Windass tying them at one apiece and Michael Smith scoring the winner from distance 20 minutes from time.

On Tuesday, the Owls faced a difficult trip to top-flight Brentford in the EFL Cup round of 16, and a rotated squad impressed, forcing a penalty shootout as Djeidi Gassama forced a 1-1 draw with a second-half equaliser before dropping out as Mark Flekken saved Liam Palmer’s decisive penalty.

Sheffield Wednesday will look to close the gap to their visitors to a single point on Saturday, buoyed by the encouraging 90-minute draw and their improved form since the beginning of October.

They face a difficult test, however, with the away side looking to return to the top six after winning for the second time in a row over the weekend.

Watford, who finished 15th last season under Tom Cleverley’s management, have had a promising start to the new season, sitting seventh after collecting 19 points from their first 12 games.

Their struggles have come away from home, with five straight road defeats since opening with a 3-2 victory at Millwall, the most recent being 3-0 and 2-1 losses at Luton Town and Leeds United, respectively, following the international break.

The Hornets were able to bounce back last weekend, hosting sixth-placed Blackburn Rovers and earning their sixth three-point haul of the season, with Edo Kayembe scoring the only goal of the game from the penalty spot 19 minutes from time.

That result brought Cleverley’s side level on points with Blackburn and one behind fifth-placed West Bromwich Albion, and they now travel to Hillsborough hoping to improve their poor away form with a win and move into the playoff spots.

Team News

Danny Rohl rotated his Sheffield Wednesday squad for Tuesday’s trip to Brentford and should return to a full-strength starting lineup on Saturday, with defender Akin Famewo and winger Olaf Kobacki joining Nathaniel Chalobah and Michael Ihiekwe in the engine room.

In Famewo’s absence, Dominic Iorfa should form a back three with Di’Shon Bernard and Liam Palmer, while Southampton loanee Shea Charles and captain Barry Bannan will start in midfield.

Djeidi Gassama, who leveled the scores against Brentford, has a claim to keep his place in the attack, while Josh Windass, Michael Smith, Anthony Musaba, Ike Ugbo, and Jamal Lowe will all compete for the starting spot.

Watford will be without defender Angelo Ogbonna for the trip to Hillsborough, and Tom Dele-Bashiru is unlikely to recover from his own injury in time to play this weekend.

Imran Louza will compete for a starting spot, but Tom Ince, who leads the Hornets’ scoring charts with five goals in 11 Championship appearances this season, could return in the midfield alongside Moussa Sissoko and Edo Kayembe.

Kwadwo Baah and Giorgi Chakvetadze should maintain their strike partnership, while Ryan Andrews will look to reclaim his spot on the right side of their 3-5-2 formation.

Sheffield Wednesday’s possible starting lineup:

Beadle; Palmer, Bernard, Iorfa; Valentin, Charles, Bannan, Johnson; Windass, Smith, Gassama.

Watford’s possible starting lineup:

Bachmann: Pollock, Sierralta, Porteous; Andrews, Ince, Kayembe, Sissoko, Larouci; Baah, Chakvetadze.

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