Wednesday v Cardiff City
Saturday 23 December
3:00pm
Championship
Hillsborough
THE MATCH
Wednesday’s tails are up in the Championship and are rejuvenated under manager Danny Röhl.
As the Owls host Cardiff on Saturday, focus behind the scenes has very much been on continuing the hard work that has brought about our recent run of results.
Three wins from the last four have seen Wednesday climb closer to the safety line in the Championship, though much work remains ahead of Danny and the boys.
The gap has been chopped down to six ahead of the next round of games.
Our visitors this weekend had a strong start to the term and until recently were in and around the play-off reckoning.
But four defeats from the last five games have seen the Bluebirds slip to 12th in the division.
Manager Erol Bulut called a team meeting this week to make a ‘new start’ after their poor spell, and explained: “We have to change things, I hope it'll be a new start for us.
"We had really good results, the team was going well and maybe because of those results - and that we were a few times in the play-off positions - maybe we relaxed. We are good but we have to keep it that way, so that's why we had a meeting."
TEAM NEWS
Wednesday: Callum Paterson and Bambo Diaby have trained this week after pulling up with injuries last time out against QPR. Both are expected to be available for Saturday’s fixture.
Josh Windass and Michael Smith are edging closer to fitness but may find the Cardiff clash is too soon for a return.
John Buckley (shoulder) has been ruled out.
Cardiff: The Bluebirds have injury concerns of their own.
Key midfield man Joe Ralls has missed the last two games, while Aaron Ramsey has been sidelined since mid-September.
Callum O’Dowda hasn’t featured since his side’s 2-1 win over Wednesday back in August, while Ryan Wintle missed the 3-0 defeat at Hull last week.
Former Owls loanee Mark McGuinness will make his first return to Hillsborough since leaving S6 last January.
PRESS CONFERENCE
OFFICIALS
Referee: Sam Barrott
Assistant: Bhupinder Singh Gill
Assistant: Mark Stevens
Fourth Official: David Webb
MATCHDAY PROGRAMME – get your Christmas copy in around and the ground on Saturday!
IMPORTANT TURNSTILE INFORMATION
We are reminding supporters to arrive at the stadium as early as possible to avoid unnecessary queuing.
Please note that tickets can be scanned on any turnstile for the respective stand.
iFOLLOW
Live audio commentary is available HERE on iFollow, with S6 regulars Rob O’Neil and John Pearson calling the action.
SOCIAL MEDIA
The hashtag for the match is #SHWCAR
Our X account @swfc will provide real time updates, with team news at 2:00pm.
Follow us on Instagram for matchday content and subscribe and turn on notifications for our YouTube channel, where you can view extended match highlights.
FAMILY ZONE
Our Grandstand Family Zone is open from 1:30pm for youngsters to enjoy! Come and visit us for some pre-match gaming and to meet some special guests!
LOVE FOOTBALL, PROTECT THE GAME
The EFL, Premier League, FA, FSA, PGMOL, LMA and PFA have come together this season to implement a series of measures to address behaviour across the game.
This includes new policies, procedures, and regulations to eradicate unacceptable conduct on the pitch, on the sidelines and in the stands.
The new measures build on the work launched last season to combat dangerous and illegal fan behaviour, supported by the ‘Love Football. Protect the Game’ football-wide campaign.
CLICK HERE for full details.
We are also reinforcing the importance of all supporters staying within EFL Ground Regulations, which can be found HERE