Preview: Sheffield Wednesday vs Southampton - prediction, team news, lineups

Aiming to continue an eight-game unbeaten streak and narrow their gap to the top six in the Championship table, Southampton will visit Hillsborough to take on Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

The visitors remain four points outside of the playoffs after a midweek victory, while their hosts' relegation was confirmed last weekend.

Match preview

Sheffield Wednesday return to Hillsborough on Saturday aiming to end a long Championship losing run, with their relegation to League One having been confirmed last weekend.

In a season made all but insurmountable for the Owls by off-field issues, deductions totalling 18 points and administration in October, they have sat at the bottom of the table for the entirety of the term, sitting on -7 points having picked up just 11 from one victory and seven eight draws alongside 25 defeats.

On the back of 10 straight losses and nine in the Championship, across which they only scored once, Henrik Pedersen's men visited Steel City rivals Sheffield United last weekend and saw their drop to the third tier sealed, having trailed 2-0 at the interval and failed to find a leveller after Charlie McNeill halved their deficit.

A trip to Norwich City then followed on Wednesday, and the Owls again left empty-handed, as Mathias Kvistgaarden and Paris Maghoma scored first-half goals in a 2-0 home win at Carrow Road.

Now with 12 games left of a Championship season they will hope to forget, and a midweek update jeopardising their exit from administration, Sheffield Wednesday will go in search of a home win to provide a long-overdue boost on Saturday.

They face another difficult test, though, as the visitors arrive in search of back-to-back wins to boost their playoff hopes.

After a disappointing first half to the Championship season, following last year's Premier League relegation, Southampton looked set to be confined to a mid-table finish at best in mid-January, after a seven-game winless run left them on 33 points from 27 matches.

The Saints have since surfaced as one of the division's form sides to put themselves into the playoff picture, going unbeaten in their last seven league games and winning five of those including three straight triumphs between late January and mid-February.

Then on the back of an FA Cup win vs. Leicester City and a disappointing draw with Charlton Athletic last weekend, Tonda Eckert's men hosted Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday and bounced back to winning ways in style, dishing out a 5-0 beating with Kuryu Matsuki netting a brace alongside goals from Finn Azaz, Leo Scienza and James Bree.

With momentum growing at St Mary's, but still trailing sixth-placed Wrexham by four points with 12 games remaining, Southampton will aim to continue their charge towards the top six with another win on Saturday.

Sheffield Wednesday Championship form:

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Southampton Championship form:

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Southampton form (all competitions):

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Team News

Sheffield Wednesday continue to contend with a long injury list, with Pierce Charles, Murphy Cooper, Max Lowe, Ernie Weaver, Di'Shon Bernard, Liam Cooper, Nathaniel Chalobah, Marvelous Nakamba and George Brown all likely ruled out.

In the absence of Cooper and Charles, emergency loanee Seny Dieng will continue between the sticks, having arrived in time for last week's Steel City Derby.

Gabriel Otegbayo is back in contention after being suspended in midweek, and he may come back into the middle of the defence alongside Dominic Iorfa, who appeared for the first time since early January on Wednesday after his injury layoff.

Southampton may be unchanged from their midweek 5-0 victory, with Welington, Mads Roerslev and Jay Robinson still sidelined.

Ross Stewart will compete with Cyle Larin to lead the attack, while Leo Scienza, Finn Azaz and Kuryu Matsuki are bound to continue in support having all scored on Tuesday, taking Azaz to eight goals for the season while Matsuki netted his first two for the club in the league.

Elsewhere, Flynn Downes and Caspar Jander should continue their midfield partnership, despite the presence of Shea Charles, who will hope to come in against the side he spent last season on loan with.

Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:

Dieng; Palmer, Iorfa, Otegbayo, Adaramola; Heskey, Ingelsson, Thornton; McNeill, Lowe, Ndala

Southampton possible starting lineup:

Peretz; Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Manning; Downes, Jander; Matsuki, Azaz, Scienza; Stewart

We say: Sheffield Wednesday 0-3 Southampton

Growing in momentum and climbing towards the playoff spots, we can see Southampton cruising past a down-and-out Sheffield Wednesday side who are confined to relegation, stuck in a losing run and lacking senior players.

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