Just before we say goodbye to 2016, we say hello to Deepdale and Preston North End on Saturday. The Lilywhites are our hosts as the Wednesday aim for a potential year end finish of third place in the Championship if results go their way. If recent form is any indication of the expected outcome then it will be Carlos Carvalhal’s team which take the points, but obviously it’s not that simple.
Wednesday have lost just once in their last seven games, winning five and drawing one, the form table over the past six games sees the Owls third behind Brighton and Derby who are the only two teams who are unbeaten over the same period. Away from home the Wednesday have only succumbed to defeat once over the last two months, and of course the win at Newcastle earlier in the week has certainly made people sit up and take note.
Preston North End will go into the game looking for an element of revenge following their defeat at Hillsborough in early December. That game will be remembered for the double sending off following Eoin Doyle and Jermaine Beckford’s handbag swinging session, which certainly helped Wednesday finish the game on top. Their form in December has been inconsistent to say the least, winning twice, losing twice and drawing once with their last game at home their fans witnessed their side on the end of a a four-one hammering by Leeds on Boxing Day.
Owls News….
Wednesday are waiting on the fitness of Kieran Lee ahead of the game, the midfielder was left out at Newcastle on Monday due to a niggling injury but he could be fit enough to feature in Lancashire. Callum McManaman doesn’t join up with the team until the next game against Wolves on Monday, so it may mean an unchanged side to the one who faced Newcastle on Boxing Day.
However, we all know our Head Coach likes to utilise his squad to it’s fullest, so it could mean a return for Jack Hunt at full back or a return for David Jones in midfield, Lucas Joao will be chomping at the bit for a starting return as will Atdhe Nuhiu who hasn’t started a game for the Wednesday since the defeat at Reading in early December.
There is still no return for Gary Hooper, Marco Matias or Will Buckley as they still continue to work their way back from injuries.
Carvalhal Comment….
The Wednesday head coach is expecting a real tough test for his side in Lancashire, and he told the press on Thursday that Preston could well pose a bigger threat than Newcastle did to his Wednesday side.
“We know we did a very good performance, we played very well and deserved the win against the strongest team in the competition (Newcastle) at their stadium but we don’t forget that some days before we had a lot of problems against Rotherham. “They are the team from the bottom and it was a big, big problem to beat them.
“You never know in this competition. We know that we will play in Preston and will be a very tough game and probably be more dangerous or more of a threat than Newcastle. It doesn’t mean that they are better than Newcastle, they are not but they will create different problems, we know that.�
“We must be 100% again and fight a lot and do our work, understanding that we played against them a few weeks ago and we had a lot of problems to win the game. It was a divided game.�
Preston News….
Simon Grayson will be without the services of Jermaine Beckford against Wednesday after he kicked his way to a red card against Leeds on Boxing Day, but he will welcome back Paul Gallagher and Aiden McGeady into his squad as they have both recovered from injury.
Ben Pearson will be buoyed following his recent new deal at the club, so he and Fernando Forestieri could resume their little battle which saw the Wednesday man sent off at Hillsborough. Also, there will be ex Owls Tommy Spurr and Marnick Vermijl in the Lilywhites matchday squad.
Grayson Comment…
Preston’s manager, Simon Grayson, is looking for his side to end 2016 with a bang after what he says has been a good year for his side. The former Wednesday loanee has been impressed by his players and there would be no better way to welcome 2017 than beating the Owls.
“Every club up and down the country have blips along the way and others have had bigger blips than us. We can be proud of the way we have been moving forward.
“Compared to this stage last year, we are seven points better off and have scored more goals. I’m really pleased with the players, really pleased with the people above me and the backing they’ve given me. The supporters have been fantastic and what we have to do now is keep doing the right things to make sure that more progress is made.
'They (Wednesday) are a big football club, they have got some good players. They had a really good season last year and they are trying to go one step further.
'I think when you saw them a few weeks ago you saw their qualities but we also showed them what we are capable of doing.
'They have had some great results since, a couple of home victories and ultimately going to Newcastle and winning which is a fantastic result for anybody.�
Some Stats V The LilyWhites….
Wednesday and Preston share 41 wins apiece in games between the two sides with 23 games ending in a draw. The last five games at Deepdale for the Wednesday haven’t really been so good, with just one win, two draws and two defeats.
That win for the Wednesday came back in 2011 on…. New Years Eve.. As the Owls were working their way to promotion from League One. Goals from Danny Batth and Ben Marshall were to send the travelling Owls home very happy.
It’s been over ten years since a goalless draw between the two sides at Preston, the opening day of the 2006/7 season to be exact when Lee Bullen was sent off that day. There’s something about Wednesday and red cards against Preston….
Last season it was a contentious afternoon in Lancashire for Wednesday, defeat was bad enough but a red card for Forestieri just compounded the loss a little more. Here are the ‘highlights’.
Final Thoughts….
We could call this a banana skin, but that would be doing Preston a disservice who are far from a poor team. However, after defeating Newcastle on Monday of course there is an expectation that the Lillywhites will be on the end of a Wednesday onslaught, or ok… A very confident Owl’s side.
However, we’ve been here before haven’t we. Travelling to Deepdale last season off the back of a win at Birmingham and thumping Brentford we were buzzing, then we came crashing back down to earth losing 1-0 to PNE.
As our gaffer says, it’s a real test, one which we need to overcome if we are able to really press on and put our heads above the parapet to chase the top two in the Championship. Should we win tomorrow then against Wolves at home on Monday, second place Newcastle United COULD be just three points ahead of us. Is there any bigger incentive?
Prediction…
Preston 0 Wednesday 1
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