Aiming to stretch their lead over the bottom three in the Championship table and take a major step towards guaranteeing their survival, Oxford United will travel to Hillsborough to take on Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.
The visitors sit three points ahead of the drop zone, while their hosts have dropped into the bottom half in recent weeks.
Match preview
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Sheffield Wednesday return to Hillsborough on Saturday aiming to end a four-match winless run in the Championship and pick up a first victory since the March international break.
Despite heading into the break following a tough run, culminating in a home loss to rivals Sheffield United last month, the Owls returned to action with their slim playoff hopes still somewhat intact, but they have failed to mount a climb towards the top six since, managing just two points from their last three attempts since the Steel City Derby loss.
Danny Rohl's side firstly visited Cardiff City and settled for a point from a 1-1 draw, before hosting relegation-threatened Hull City last weekend and coming away empty-handed after the game looked set to end goalless, as Charlie Hughes headed in the decisive goal deep into injury time.
A trip to Blackburn Rovers then followed on Tuesday, and after going into the interval with a 2-0 lead through Yan Valery and Djeidi Gassama, they left with a disappointing share of the spoils as Tyrhys Dolan quickly halved the hosts' deficit and Yuki Ohashi netted an equaliser five minutes from time.
Now finding themselves 13th with five league games remaining and having fallen nine points behind sixth spot and three outside of the top 10, Sheffield Wednesday will at least aim to kickstart an improved end to the campaign and climb back into the top half with just a sixth league win of the campaign at Hillsborough, with only one side having earned fewer than their 22 points on home turf.
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Their visitors, meanwhile, head to South Yorkshire with more to play for as they bid to build their cushion over the relegation zone heading into the final games of the season.
In their first season in England's second tier since 1999, Oxford United sit 18th having earned 45 points from their 41 games thus far, 27 of which have come from 20 outings since Gary Rowett's December appointment having won seven and lost seven of those.
Following a narrow 2-1 away defeat to Middlesbrough on their return from the March international break, the U's hosted then-leaders Sheffield United last weekend and picked up a crucial victory in their survival bid, having stood strong to see out a 1-0 triumph at the Kassam Stadium after Siriki Dembele put them ahead in the first half.
Rowett's men then hosted Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday, but they were unable to build on the weekend's three-point haul and came away empty-handed, as Stanley Mills reduced the deficit to 2-1 on the hour mark before Yang Min-hyeok put the visitors out of sight in injury time.
Now sitting four places and three points above the relegation zone with five league games remaining, Oxford United make the trip to Hillsborough at the weekend in search of a victory which would all but cement their second-tier status for next season.
Team News
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Sheffield Wednesday will remain without defenders Max Lowe and Di'Shon Bernard on Saturday, both of whom are set to miss the remainder of the season through injuries.
Danny Rohl switched to a back three for Tuesday's trip to Blackburn, and Gabriel Otegbayo could again join Michael Ihiekwe and Yan Valery at the weekend, while 19-year-old Pierce Charles has been preferred over James Beadle between the sticks in the Owls' three league games since the international break.
Key midfielder and captain Barry Bannan will hope to return from the outset after being an unused substitute in midweek, with Stuart Armstrong also competing to start after Shea Charles and Svante Ingelsson were preferred, while Anthony Musaba, Callum Paterson and Djeidi Gassama will hope to keep their places in attack despite competition from Michael Smith, Josh Windass and Olaf Kobacki.
Gary Rowett may opt to freshen up his Oxford United starting XI after Wednesday's 3-1 defeat, with Matt Phillips and defenders Elliott Moore and Greg Leigh remaining confined to the treatment room.
Tyler Goodrham, Ruben Rodrigues, Tom Bradshaw and Stanley Mills will all compete for spots in the attacking unit, after Przemyslaw Placheta, Ole Romeny and Siriki Dembele supported front man Mark Harris in the U's' last two outings.
Elsewhere, Joe Bennett should come into the back four in place of Ciaron Brown, who was forced off early in Wednesday's loss, while Will Vaulks should again get the nod alongside Cameron Brannagan in the engine room.
Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
P Charles; Valery, Ihiekwe, Otegbayo; Valentin, S Charles, Bannan, Johnson; Musaba, Smith, Gassama
Oxford United possible starting lineup:
Cumming; Ter Avest, Nelson, Helik, Bennett; Brannagan, Vaulks; Placheta, Rodrigues, Goodrham; Bradshaw
We say: Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Oxford United
With the visitors desperate for another victory in their survival bid and their hosts lacking momentum, particularly at Hillsborough having not won at home since New Year's Day, we back Gary Rowett's men to leave Hillsborough with all three points on Saturday.
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Sam Varley
