Connor Wickham is in line to make his third Sheffield Wednesday “debut” when the Owls take on Barnsley at Oakwell this Saturday. Wickham joined the Owls on loan from Crystal Palace on deadline day last week. This will be his third spell with the club, after enjoying two successful stints in 2013 and 2014.
Wednesday come into this clash having only won one of their last seven Championship matches. The Reds have lost their last three in the league.
Connor Wickham Could Start for Sheffield Wednesday
Adds Fresh Blood in the Attack
Owls supporters will be delighted to welcome back Wickham to Wednesday’s frontline.
He could be an ideal replacement for injured top scorer Steven Fletcher.
The Crystal Palace front-man hit eight goals in 11 appearances in his last loan spell at Hillsborough, before Sunderland recalled him.
He also poses a physical presence, which Garry Monk’s men have sorely missed since Fletcher got injured.
Wednesday also completed the loan signing of attacking midfielder Josh Windass on deadline day.
The Wigan man will add some creativity in behind Monk’s front-line, and it also means that Adam Reach is likely to be moved from the centre to his preferred position on the wing.
New signing Alessio Da Cruz made his bow from the bench in last week’s stalemate with Millwall and he gave Wednesday a much-needed spark.
The Owls have scored the lowest amount of goals at home out of any team in the Championship with 14, but their away tally of 26 is the highest in the division.
They have also scored a goal in every away game since 1st October. That run stretches back to nine away games.
It is no secret that they’ve struggled to perform recently – but Wednesday will see this as an opportunity to get back to winning ways.
Barnsley’s Defensive Struggles
Combine this with Barnsley’s defensive record this season.
The Reds have not kept a clean sheet at Oakwell since the opening day win over Fulham, and they’ve leaked the second-most goals in the league (56).
Their defensive woes have not been helped by the loss of Bambo Diaby.
He’s been suspended as the FA investigate a potential doping violation against him.
The Reds had initially improved their form after appointing Gerhard Struber from Austrian side Wolfsberger.
After winning his first home game in charge, Barnsley only lost one of their next six matches.
This included an impressive 5-3 victory against QPR at Oakwell and a fantastic 2-1 win at in-form Millwall.
They have lost their last three league games, including a disappointing 3-0 reverse at home to Preston.
Their 2-1 defeat at Charlton last week left them in 23rd place – seven points off safety.
The optimism that buzzed around the town when Struber was first appointed seems to have vanished.
A shining light in Barnsley’s form has been the form of Conor Chaplin. The former Coventry man has scored 10 times in his last 16 Tykes appearances.
Prediction
With all things considered, this has the potential to be a high scoring clash as both defences are low on confidence.
The potential introduction of Wickham, Windass and Alessio Da Cruz could make the difference for the visitors.
Barnsley 2-3 Sheffield Wednesday
Main Photo
