Barry Bannan fears Manchester City rout if Sheffield Wednesday don’t up their game

Together with Kieran Lee the playmaker came out second-best in a midfield battle with 120-cap England legend Wayne Rooney on a day that little went right for the Owls.

The entire Wednesday squad had broadly refused to acknowledge questions on the City clash ahead of Saturday’s defeat, preferring to concentrate on the task in hand – continuing momentum in the league after positive performances against Birmingham and Charlton.

But that they failed to do and Bannan, who has recently had an injection in his injured groin to ensure he is able to continue playing in Wednesday’s dismal start to 2020, said they will have to up their game.

“I will look forward to it,” the Scot said. “Obviously it is a massive game against a top, top team.

"We will look forward to it but we can’t do what we did today that is for sure because if we give the ball away like we have today then against top quality opposition like Manchester City it will be punished.”

Bannan has been one of Wednesday’s most influential players in big games this season and said he was looking forward to testing himself against some of the most high-profile squads in the world.

Pep Guardiola’s superstars beat his former club Aston Villa on Saturday to lift their third League Cup on the spin.

And while they face city rivals Manchester United in the league on Sunday, it is understood they will name a strong side at Hillsborough.

Bannan said: “You want to play against some of the best players and they have got some of the best in the world.

"It is one of the games everyone will want to play in and look forward to.

"We just need to get the disappointment of Saturday out of our heads and try and get a positive performance on Wednesday.”