Sheffield Wednesday will be going in search of a fourth consecutive win when they welcome Wigan Athletic to Hillsborough on Saturday afternoon.
The Owls, who have won each of their last five home games against the Latics, climbed to the League One summit for the first time this season last weekend after beating Peterborough United 2-1 at the Weston Homes Stadium.
The victory over Peterborough was Wednesday’s third win in eight days, meaning a clear week ahead of this weekend’s clash with Wigan was a much-needed boost. It has given manager Henrik Pedersen and his players some valuable time on the training pitches at Middlewood Road.
Ahead of the clash with Gary Caldwell’s side, Pedersen has confirmed that centre-back Liam Cooper is available for selection after being taken off at half-time against Peterborough, while a decision will need to be made on fellow defender Ricardo Santos ahead of kick-off. Meanwhile, Harry Gray is back in contention after missing the last three games after suffering a head injury.
With that in mind, The Star has had a go at predicting the starting XI Pedersen might choose.
1. GK: Joe Lumley
Lumley has started every game for the Owls in all competitions so far this season, firmly establishing himself as the club’s No.1. That run is expected to continue against Wigan, with the goalkeeper hoping to mark the Latics’ visit by keeping his first League One clean sheet of the campaign. | ugc
2. RB: Yan Valery
After it became clear that he would be staying at Hillsborough this season, Valery has made the right-back spot his own. He delivered two solid performances against Wycombe Wanderers and Peterborough, respectively, and capped them off by getting the winner against Posh. He is expected to keep his place in the team. | ugc
3. CB: Gabriel Otegbayo
Otegbayo has started four of Wednesday’s opening five League One matches this season and, with doubts surrounding Santos’ fitness, it would come as little surprise to see him earn another start this weekend. The defender made amends for his error against Wycombe with a solid performance against Peterborough last time out. | ugc
4. CB: Liam Cooper
Every Wednesdayite feared the worst when Cooper was taken off at half-time last weekend. Injuries have been piling up at centre-back, and the last thing the Owls needed was another problem to contend with. Fortunately, the former Leeds United man has recovered well this week and is available for the visit of Wigan, meaning he is likely to make his fifth successive league start. | ugc