Sheffield Wednesday face an uphill battle against Coventry City as the Owls look to move towards safety

Following the Owls’ valiant FA Cup exit after a 3-0 loss away at Everton, attention turns right back to league action for Sheffield Wednesday as they travel to St Andrews for a vital match in the team’s campaign against relegation.

Only seven points separate both sides ahead of Wednesday’s Championship clash, although Neil Thompson’s side have a game in hand on their hosts.

The Owls started the season with a points deduction, originally 12 points before later reduced to six, due to a breach of profitability and sustainability rules. Thompson’s men have done a good job of overturning this deficit, but questions should be asked of the Sheffield club having dropped points to clubs surrounding themselves including Rotherham, Wycombe and Nottingham Forest.

They face Coventry City, a side that were crowned champions of League One on the basis of Points Per Game due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Sky Blues have taken to life in the Championship, expected to fight off relegation and the team are certainly matching those expectations having crossed the halfway mark of the 2020/21 campaign.

Coventry have lacked a key goal scorer so far this season with Matt Godden, Tyler Walker and Gustavo Hamer all sitting on four goals each. The same can also be said for Sheffield Wednesday with Callum Paterson leading the way with only five goals in 22 matches closely followed by Josh Windass on four.

Thompson’s Owls come into the game with an ulterior motive and one thing in mind, taking that step closer to safety.

He will have new signings Andre Green and Sam Hutchinson available for the fixture, Green a skilful winger joining from Aston Villa and Hutchinson a familiar face at Hillsborough.

22-year-old Green comes to Hillsborough with a wealth of Championship experience during his time at Aston Villa, his most notable moment at Villa being a last-gasp equaliser against Sheffield United. The winger will provide an outlet of pace and skill for the Owls, with a touch of inspiration which could help Wednesday push up the table.

Last time these two teams met saw Wednesday come away with all three points at Hillsborough in a 1-0 win after Tom Lees’ header sealed the victory.

The Sky Blues will be without winger Jodi Jones who suffered a long-term injury back in September 2020 and frontman Tyler Walker who is still ruled out with a hip injury. Whereas Wednesday travel to the West Midlands with a full squad.

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