Sheffield Wednesday could equal more unwanted records in Championship fixture vs Southampton
Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping to give their fans something to shout about when they host Southampton on Saturday afternoon.
Sheffield Wednesday will be desperate to halt their long winless run when they welcome play-off hopefuls Southampton to Hillsborough this afternoon.
Three days after they were officially relegated to League One, the Owls suffered a record-breaking 11th successive Championship defeat on Wednesday evening, losing 2-0 to Norwich City at Carrow Road.
It extended their winless run in the league to 28 matches, meaning they will be determined to try and knock that on the head and treat their supporters to a very, very rare victory. However, they are taking on a Saints side that has turned its fortunes around in impressive fashion in recent weeks.
Ahead of the clash with Tonda Eckert’s side, here are five pre-match talking points:
How many changes?
It goes without saying that Wednesday’s performance against Norwich in midweek did little to inspire. Unfortunately for Owls manager Henrik Pedersen, though, he does not have an awful lot of options to change much in the hope of triggering a reaction.
Gabriel Otegbayo, who missed the trip to Carrow Road through suspension, is back available for selection and will almost certainly come back into the team. There is also an argument for Sean Fusire to come back into the starting XI and make his first start since recovering from a hamstring injury. The former Carlisle United loanee has appeared via the bench in the last two games.
Jerry Yates will also be eyeing a recall after being left out of the starting XI for the first time since joining the club on loan from Luton Town last month against the Canaries. Yates could return to the side at the expense of Jamal Lowe, who could benefit from a breather after ten Championship starts in a row.
Meanwhile, a change in midfield could also be required after Pedersen, on Friday, confirmed on-loan Manchester City midfielder Jaden Heskey was the latest injury concern. He is expected to face a late fitness test.
Chalobah in contention
After appearing for Wednesday’s Under-21s last Friday, starting their bonkers 8-6 defeat to Huddersfield Town at Middlewood Road, midfield enforcer Nathaniel Chalobah could make his long-awaited return to first-team action this afternoon.
The 31-year-old came through the clash with the Terriers unscathed, marking his first appearance since the Owls’ 3-0 defeat to Derby County at Hillsborough on December 15. The defeat to the Rams marked just his third Championship appearance of the campaign.
His Wednesday career has been plagued by injuries, so much so he has been restricted to just 21 appearances since joining the club in July 2024. Having missed almost all of this season, he will be determined to stay injury-free and finish the campaign as strongly as possible.
Pedersen, addressing the prospect of Chalobah being involved against Southampton, said: “I hope, I really hope. No, it was positive, no setback, nothing from him and it was nice to have him back in the squad and also good to see him play 45 minutes without problems.”
Southampton’s recent form
Every game is a stern test for Wednesday nowadays because of obvious reasons, but this afternoon’s visit of Southampton is looking as though it will be a huge challenge for them to try and overcome. The Saints have been in excellent form recently, winning five of their last seven Championship matches to play themselves into play-off contention.
After finding themselves 16th in the standings, ten points shy of the play-offs, as recently as January 20, following a run of seven games without a win, the Saints are now within four points of the sixth-placed Wrexham.
Despite experiencing a bump in the road between mid-December and mid-January, their overall form since boss Eckert replaced Will Still in November, initially on an interim basis, has significantly improved, so much so they have won 38 points under the German - a record that can only be bettered by Coventry City (40).
MORE: 'Outstanding' - Southampton boss shares Henrik Pedersen verdict ahead of Sheffield Wednesday clash
The Saints blew QPR away in midweek, winning 5-0, and recently produced an astonishing comeback to recover from 3-0 down to beat Leicester City 4-3 at the King Power Stadium. After winning their last two Championship away games, they are targeting a third successive league win on the road for the first time since January 2020.
More unwanted records could be equalled
Unfortunately for Wednesday, they are going to continue to be associated with negative and unwanted records this season. After becoming the first team in the history of the Championship to lose 11 games in a row in midweek, they could equal two more records this afternoon.
Wednesday have struggled for results both at home and on their travels this season, but their home form has been particularly dismal. They are without a win on their own patch this season, last recording a victory on Easter Monday last year, beating Middlesbrough 2-1.
Winless in their opening 17 league matches at Hillsborough this season, the Owls are on the cusp of equalling Sunderland’s record, set in 2005/06, and becoming just the second club to fail to win any of their opening 18 home games of a league campaign in English league history. Sunderland set that record in the Premier League and recorded their first and only win at the Stadium of Light that season in their final home game.
In addition to equalling Sunderland’s record of failing to win any of their opening 18 home games of a league campaign, Wednesday are also on the cusp of becoming just the third team in Championship history to go 18 home games without a win in a single season - a record first set by Birmingham City in 2013/14 and then repeated by Wigan Athletic the following campaign.
Unfortunately for Wednesday, they have failed to win any of their last seven meetings with Southampton, losing six.
Charles returns
After welcoming Barry Bannan back to Hillsborough in their last home game, Wednesday will welcome former loanee Shea Charles back to S6 this afternoon. The midfielder spent almost all of last season on loan with the Owls, establishing himself as a firm fans’ favourite.
The Northern Ireland international made 44 appearances, chipping in with one goal, and was a key part of former manager Danny Röhl’s plans. He was excellent in more ways than one, meaning he is likely to earn a warm reception this afternoon.
This season, Charles, who scored the winner in Southampton’s dramatic 4-3 win over Leicester earlier this month, has made just 22 appearances in league and cup after missing more than two months of the campaign with a hamstring injury. He has made just one start since making his comeback against Sheffield United on January 21.