Source: FOOTYMAD
Can Owls carry their cup form into the league?
Wednesday Vs Rochdale: Team news and preview Sheffield Wednesday have enjoyed a fine week in the cup competitions, scoring 9 times and conceding just 3 as they advanced in both the F.A. Cup and the football league trophy. The league has always been the priority this season though and following two successive defeats in League One the Owls really need a positive result against Rochdale to get their promotion aspirations back on track. Wednesday are likely to be without Jon Otsemobor as the right-back picked up a calf injury in the midweek victory against Hartlepool, Lewis Buxton is likely to replace him at full back with Mark Beevers returning at centre-back having started on the bench on Wednesday evening. Captain Darren Purse also limped out of the 4-1 win but is expected to be fit to play. Winger Jermaine Johnson remains sidelined but few changes are expected in an attacking sense meaning that Marcus Tudgay is likely to have to settle for a place amongst the substitutes once more. Aside from a recent injury picked up by understudy goalkeeper Matthew Edwards, Dale manager Keith Hill has a fully fit squad to choose from with no suspension problems. Former Wednesday player Brian Barry-Murphy is likely to be included in the visitors starting line-up. Two good cup wins have taken some of the pressure off manager Alan Irvine but having lost to Charlton and Huddersfield in their last two league games another defeat would probably see the Owls slip into the bottom half of the League One table. Home form has been a concern for Wednesday as they have already lost 3 league games at Hillsborough this season and have scored just 5 goals in 8 league matches on home soil. Rochdale are currently in the midst of a dire run of form that has seen the dumped out of the F.A. Cup at the hands of non-league F.C United of Manchester. In addition to that disappointment they have lost 4 of their last 5 league matches but still find themselves just 2 points behind the Owls going into Saturday's fixture. The two teams have never faced each other in the league and have only met twice in competitive matches. Wednesday won both League Cup ties against Rochdale, the most recent coming last year when they ran out 3-0 winners at Hillsborough.
