Sheffield Wednesday play host to local rivals Barnsley on Saturday with both sides desperate for points as they attempt to avoid relegation from the Championship. The Owls sit just 1 place and 1 point above the relegation zone and a large crowd is expected for this clash against a team that are only 1 point and 1 place above them in the league table.
Wednesday will be boosted by the arrival of 3 new signings this weeks and all 3 are in contention to make their Owls debuts. Midfielder's Stuart Holden and Seyi Olofinjana have been joined by striker Steve Howard and all 3 will be keen to be involved this weekend.
Dave Jones must do without the services of influential top scorer Michail Antonio after an injury picked up in the last match against Cardiff ruled him out for the rest of the season. Other than that the Owls have a fully fit squad to choose from as they try to move clear of the bottom 3 spots.
Barnsley make the short trip without striker Chris O'Grady. The frontman has had a positive impact since joining the Tykes on loan from Wednesday in January but the terms of his loan agreement prevent him from facing his former club. David Flitcroft must also make do without the injured defensive duo of Jim McNulty and Scott Goldbourne.
The Owls have lost 3 of their last 4 games, scoring only 3 goals in the process. Barnsley by contrast have won their last 2 – beating 2 promotion chasing sides – and have won 7 of their last 11 Championship matches.
Barnsley have won only 4 times in 30 away games at Wednesday, losing on 19 of their visits though they have taken 4 points from their last 2 visits to Hillsborough.
The 2 sides were in a similar predicament when they met at Oakwell back in December. Despite producing a scrappy display Wednesday were able to dig in and hold on for a 1-0 win thanks ironically to a first half goal from Chris O'Grady.
Source: Owls-Mad
Source: FOOTYMAD
