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Sheffield Wednesday logo
Championship
Apr 11, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
Charlton Athletic

1-1

Lavery (41')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Preview: Sheffield Wednesday vs. Charlton Athletic

Sports Mole previews the Championship clash between Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton Athletic at Hillsborough.

Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to solidify their position in mid-table in the Championship when they take on Charlton Athletic at Hillsborough.

Both teams have had steady seasons, but have not threatened to join the pack of teams chasing promotion to the Premier League as they lie over 10 points adrift of the playoff places.



Sheff Weds

Stuart Gray, the Sheffield Wednesday manager, looks on during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium on August 30, 2014© Getty Images

The Owls have been a solid outfit in the Championship all season under Stuart Gray, who has quietly done an excellent job at Hillsborough.

Since taking the reins at the club last season, Gray has pushed the team away from the dangers of relegation to League One, which they flirted with at times during the 2013-14 campaign.

Wednesday have been the definition of a stable team this season as they have lost just 13 of their 41 Championship matches, while only their opponents have drawn more games than them this season.

Gray has managed to build his team well into a solid defensive unit as they conceded just 43 goals in the entirety of the season. Only Middlesbrough, Bournemouth and Norwich City have shipped fewer goals than the Owls.

However, there have been problems at the other end of the pitch for Wednesday as they have scored just 37 goals, which ranks them 21st in the table, with only the teams that currently occupy the relegation places below them.

The sale of Michail Antonio to Nottingham Forest could be one of the reasons for their lack of success in front of the net as he was a regular goalscorer for the Owls as well as providing them from his position on the wing.

Adthe Nuhiu and Stevie May have been the Owls' top scorers this season, but they have only netted 17 goals between them in all competitions. If the club are to push on and compete for a place in the Premier League they need to find a regular goalscorer.

Wednesday's recent form has been very inconsistent as they won, drew and lost and then repeated the feat in their last six matches.

Gray was displeased with his team's defending in their 2-0 loss to Norwich City last time out, and after setting them a target of seven points from their remaining matches this season, his side will be hopeful of taking a large stride towards that goal against the Addicks to ensure a top-half finish.

Recent form: Recent form: LDWLDW



Charlton

Head Coach Guy Luzon of Standard Liege looks on during the UEFA Europa League Group G match against HNK Rijeka on September 18, 2014© Getty Images

Guy Luzon has done an equally impressive job with Charlton as Gray has done with the Owls this season, as the Israeli has guided the club to the safety of mid-table in his brief tenure.

The Addicks were sliding perilously close to the relegation zone under the reign of Bob Peeters, which included a 13-match unbeaten run that stretched from November to January.

Charlton were 16th in the Championship when Luzon assumed his role at the club, just eight points clear of the relegation, with the team pondering where their next win would come from.

However, after a difficult start to life in England's second tier, Luzon has forged a winning mentality with the Addicks, guiding them to seven victories in his 15 matches which included an impressive 3-0 victory over promotion-chasing Brentford.

One of Charlton's major problems at the start of the season was their inability to turn their draws into victories. No team in the Championship have drawn as many matches as Charlton have this season, as they have shared the spoils on 16 occasions.

Luzon has done enough to guide them to safety this season, leaving them with optimism for the next campaign and a potential return to the Premier League after nine years out of the top flight.

Charlton were unable to take a victory from any of their games over the Easter period as they drew with Fulham and lost to Millwall, which will spur Luzon to get back to winning ways to ensure his team end the campaign in a high note.

Recent form: DLWWLW



Team News

Ashley Barnes of Brighton challenges Joe Mattock of Sheffield Wednesday during the npower Championship match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Sheffield Wednesday at Amex Stadium on September 14, 201© Getty Images

Wednesday will be without defender Joe Mattock for the clash at Hillsborough after he picked up a groin injury in training, which could rule him out for the rest of the season.

Liam Palmer, Glenn Loovens and Claude Dielna are also out of the match due to injury, but Jeremy Helen and Dejan Kelhar could come into the team to fill in at the back. Meanwhile, Will Keane and Jose Semedo will face late fitness tests as they are suffering from minor knocks.

Charlton could be without midfielders Johnnie Jackson, Callum Harriott and Franck Moussa for the second straight game due to injury after the trio missed their 1-1 draw against Fulham.

Chris Solly and Yoni Buyens will return to the team after serving their respective suspensions to boost Luzon's men at Hillsborough.

Sheff Weds possible starting lineup:
Westwood, Vermijl, Lees, Kelhar, Helan, Maguire, Lee, McGugan, Melo, Isgrove, Lavery

Charlton possible starting lineup:
Henderson, Solly, Ben-Haim, Gomez, Fox, Gudmundsson, Cousins, Diarra, Buyens, Watt, Vetokele



Head To Head

The match between the two teams finished in a 1-1 draw earlier this season at The Valley, as Igor Vetokele scored in the 70th minute to earn the Addicks a point to cancel out Royston Drenthe's first-half strike.

Charlton won at Hillsborough twice last season as they beat the Owls 2-1 in the fifth round of the FA Cup, while a hat-trick from Marvin Sordell fired them to a 3-2 victory over Gray's men in their Championship match.

Wednesday edge the head-to-head record as they have recorded 20 victories in the history of the fixture compared to Charlton's 19, while 14 of the matches have ended in draws.



Video Preview

Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:



Sports Mole Logo

We say: Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Charlton

The teams are pretty evenly matched as they sit just one point and one place apart in the table with five matches remaining in the campaign.

Charlton have been in the better form recently, while the Owls' season looks to be tailing off towards the end of the campaign.

However, due to the state of the pitch at Hillsborough and the resilience of Wednesday under Gray, the match is likely to end in a stalemate.



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Tal Ben Haim of Charlton during Sky Bet Championship match between Huddersfield Town and Charlton Athletic at Galpharm Stadium on August 23, 2014
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