MX23RW : Sunday, December 15 02:54:37| >> :120:82036:82036:

Preview: Sheffield Wednesday vs. Derby County

Sports Mole previews Sunday lunchtime's Championship meeting between Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County at Hillsborough.

The final game of matchday 19 in the Championship comes from Hillsborough on Sunday lunchtime, as Sheffield Wednesday play host to promotion favourites Derby County.

A disappointing League Cup exit still fresh in the mind, the Owls will be desperate to get their own playoff charge back on track following a somewhat inconsistent run of form.


Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal ahead of the Sky Bet Championship match between Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield Wednesday at Reebok Stadium on September 15, 2015© Getty Images

Carlos Carvalhal had no complaints following his side's 2-0 defeat at Stoke City in their midweek cup tie, admitting that the better team had won in the end.

Excitement had been building in the blue and white half of Sheffield following some promising results, particularly the 3-0 thrashing of Arsenal to set up that quarter-final meeting in the Potteries.

Attention can now be firmly fixed on the club's hopes of returning to the Premier League after a 15-year absence from the big time, and with over a third of the campaign gone Wednesday are well on track to achieving their target.

One win in their last four league outings has seen them miss out on the chance to claim a place in the top six, but the Owls have showed some great character to at least keep the points ticking over.

Two late goals in their last home outing against Huddersfield Town secured victory, for example, while Lucas Joao also struck six minutes from time at Blackburn Rovers to ensure that it remains just one defeat in 12.

Carvalhal has also helped turn Hillsborough into something of a fortress this term, with the current six-game unbeaten run on home soil their best such streak since August 2012 when promotion had just been secured from the third tier.

Wednesday now face off against a number of the sides around them in the table, starting with third-placed Derby before taking on the likes of Cardiff City, Birmingham City and Middlesbrough before the end of the month.

All the hallmarks of a sustained top-six challenge are certainly there, but the South Yorkshire outfit must now ensure that their League Cup hangover does not carry over into their league campaign, or else another mediocre finish could be in the pipeline.

Recent form in Championship: WWDLWD
Recent form (all competitions): WDLWDL


Derby County

Paul Clement manager of Derby County looks on prior to the Sky Bet Championship match between Nottingham Forest and Derby County at City Ground on November 6, 2015© Getty Images

The slow start to life under Paul Clement has certainly become a thing of the past for Derby, who have recovered from a five-game winless run to kick off the season with just one loss in their 13 outings since.

Throw into the equation that 10 of those games ended in victory, and it came as very little surprise to see Derby top the Championship table for a short while last weekend.

Their most impressive triumph of the campaign to date last time out at Hull City, who are arguably their biggest challengers for top spot in the second tier, ensured that Clement's charges leapfrogged their opponents at the summit.

Middlesbrough and Brighton & Hove Albion have since moved back into the two vacant automatic promotion spots, yet ahead of this weekend's action it is County who many are backing to claim the title.

A disappointing slender defeat to arch-rivals Nottingham Forest aside, it has been a near-perfect set of results for the Rams since September, with this fine run being built on a solid foundation at the back.

Four clean sheets have been recorded in their last five outings, lifting them not only to the top of the current form guide but making sure that they also boast the best defensive and away records in the division.

Yet despite all this, it must be remembered that Derby are still not occupying a top-two berth, which was very much the target set for Clement when he was brought in from Real Madrid in the summer.

A tough run of fixtures has been navigated through in some style so far, with successive wins over Cardiff and Hull, but now the Rams must face off against Wednesday, Brighton and Middlesbrough over the next month.

Recent form in Championship: WWWLWW


Team News

Tom Lees of Sheffield Wednesday in action with Scott Arfield of Burnley during the Capital One Cup Second Round match between Burnley and Sheffield Wednesday at Turf Moor on August 26, 2014© Getty Images

Tom Lees will miss the visit of Derby due to a hamstring injury picked up against Stoke, which saw him leave the Britannia Stadium on crutches.

Wednesday suffered further defensive problems on Tuesday night, too, as Glenn Loovens and Jack Hunt limped off to add to an injury list already bearing the names of Michael Turner and Vincent Sasso.

Darryl Lachman and Claude Dielna will both therefore be in contention on Sunday afternoon, but Hunt may yet return and Fernando Forestieri will certainly be available after missing out in midweek.

In terms of the visitors, they can call upon Bradley Johnson in the middle once more following his suspension at Hull, but two-goal Jacob Butterfield may have thrown a spanner in the works with his showing.

Jeff Hendrick was the man to replace Johnson at the KC Stadium, so he is likely to be the one to make way in a lineup that is not expected to change too much from the huge victory on Humberside.

Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Westwood; Hunt, Lachman, Palmer, Pudil; Lee, Semedo; Wallace, Hooper, Forestieri; Nuhiu

Derby County possible starting lineup:
Carson; Christie, Keogh, Shackell, Warnock; Johnson, Thorne, Butterfield; Ince, Martin, Weimann


Head To Head

The Owls have failed to find the net in four of their last five home encounters with Derby.

County have gone 12 games unbeaten against their opponents, winning eight and drawing four during that run.

Last season's meeting at Hillsborough between these two sides finished in a disappointing goalless stalemate, but five goals were scored when Derby prevailed in the reverse meeting earlier this year.


Sports Mole Logo

We say: Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Derby County

Wednesday look good value to challenge for the playoffs in Carvalhal's first season in charge, but they come up against the division's in-form side who have one eye on reclaiming their spot at the summit. A tight contest can be expected in South Yorkshire, though it will be the visitors who come out on top to strengthen their status as the Championship's best away side.



ID:260573: cacheID:260573:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:12442:
Written by
Daniel Lewis
No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Derby County manager Paul Clement during the Capital One Cup First Round match between Portsmouth v Derby County at Fratton Park on August 12, 2015
Read Next:
Paul Clement impressed by Derby defence
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Chiefs
@
Browns
6pm
Ravens
@
Giants
6pm
Jets
@
Jags
6pm
Cowboys
@
Panthers
6pm
Washington
@
Saints
6pm
Dolphins
@
Texans
6pm
Bengals
@
Titans
9.25pm
Colts
@
Broncos
9.25pm
Patriots
@
Cardinals
9.25pm
Buccaneers
@
Chargers
9.25pm
Steelers
@
Eagles
9.25pm
Bills
@
Lions
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd21145230111945
2Leeds UnitedLeeds21126337152242
3Sunderland21117332171540
4Burnley2010822471738
5Blackburn RoversBlackburn2011452517837
6Middlesbrough21104735251034
7West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom2071122314932
8Watford199462725231
9Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds218582630-429
10Swansea CitySwansea217682322127
11Bristol City216962626027
12Norwich CityNorwich206863530526
13Millwall206772018225
14Derby CountyDerby216692626024
15Coventry CityCoventry216692730-324
16Preston North EndPreston2141162127-623
17Stoke CityStoke215792328-522
18Queens Park RangersQPR2141072127-622
19Luton TownLuton2164112337-1422
20Oxford UnitedOxford Utd2046102133-1218
21Cardiff CityCardiff2046101932-1318
22Portsmouth193882134-1317
23Plymouth ArgylePlymouth2045111942-2317
24Hull City2137111930-1116


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!