Sheffield Wednesday face Watford at Hillsborough this evening knowing that three points are a must if they are to keep pace with some of their rivals at the bottom of the Championship table. Tuesday evening saw Scunthorpe emphatically beat bottom club Peterborough to move 4 points ahead of the Owls and perhaps significantly the 4-0 win has also given them a comparable goal difference to Wednesday.
Plymouth have also moved back into contention to survive the drop having won at Ipswich. Although they are second-bottom they are now just three points behind Wednesday and will have a game in hand after tonight. Thankfully Nottingham Forest were able to continue their fine home form, seeing off Crystal Palace who remain a point behind Wednesday, occupying the final relegation spot.
Wednesday go into tonight’s game with concerns over the fitness of captain Darren Purse who was substituted as a precaution to prevent injury in the 0-0 draw with Derby on Saturday though reports suggest the defender is set to play. Winger Jermaine Johnson is making progress but is not expected to be rushed back for this match.
With goals coming at a premium for the Owls of late Alan Irvine could choose to make changes to his front line. Luke Varney was ineligible to play against his parent club at the weekend and could return but he, like Marcus Tudgay and Leon Clarke have found goals hard to come by recently and Francis Jeffers could also be pushing for a rare start after coming off the bench against the Rams.
Watford come to Hillsborough with doubts over two key players. Midfielder Henri Lansbury who has influential in the Hornets victory over the Owls earlier in the season missed Saturday’s defeat at Cardiff as did club captain Jay DeMerit and both will have their fitness assessed ahead of the game.
Wednesday will have to be wary of QPR loan man Heidar Helguson who has continued to score goals on his return to the Vicarage Road club.
Wednesday come into the game having kept three clean sheets in their last five but have only managed to score in tow of these matches and have picked up only six points from them as a result.
Watford are currently in dire form having lost five of their last six with the only win in these games coming at home against Ipswich last Tuesday. The Hornets have only won three times from eighteen away league fixtures this season, losing ten of them and a win for Wednesday would see them leapfrog their opponents in the league table though Watford have played two games less.
Wednesday were humiliated 4-1 at Vicarage Road in front of the Sky TV cameras in October. Matches between the two sides at Hillsborough in league and cup in the past decade have been fairly even with the Owls winning three, losing two and drawing two.