Sheffield Wednesday and Oxford United meet in the Championship this weekend with both sides looking for a valuable win.
Sheffield Wednesday, in their first full season under the management of Danny Rohl, are 12th in the Championship table.
The Owls enjoyed a climb up the table with their longest unbeaten run of the season across late November and early December.
However, Rohl’s men could not extend their run when Blackburn Rovers visited Hillsborough on Tuesday, succumbing to a 1-0 defeat.
As for Oxford United, they head into the weekend looking to widen the gap between themselves and the Championship’s relegation zone with a sharp decline in form seeing them slide down the table.
Following their promotion to England’s second-tier for the first time in 25 years last season, the Us made a promising start, picking up 14 points from their first 11 games. However, they have only managed to add four more points in their last eight outings.
In midweek, they were beaten 2-0 by fellow strugglers QPR as a Sam Field double put Des Buckingham’s side to the sword.
Here, a handful of our writers make their predictions for the game…
Charlie Hodgson
“Sheffield Wednesday have been in decent from over the past few games. Their loss to Blackburn should not derail them with Rovers in such a good position this season.
“The home side have also started to struggle in recent weeks. The quality of the Championship is coming to them fast and they do not have an answer to it.
“With that said I only see one winner in this game. The away side are simply a better and have a top coach in Danny Rohl, both will help them through this trip to Oxford United.”
Prediction: Oxford United 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday
James Ray
“It’s still early days in the Championship campaign so it’s not panic stations just yet for Oxford United, but they desperately need to find some form. Confidence is fading and belief in their ability to survive is waning.
“Sheffield Wednesday are a tough opponent as well, but they’re far from the finished article and are there to be beaten. The hosts have to improve significantly on their recent showings if they are to get anything from this one though.
“Oxford can get something from this but the form they’re in, it’s hard to back them. I’m going for a home win, marking the ideal response for Wednesday after their midweek loss.”