Sheffield Wednesday stand 90 minutes away from the Championship ahead of today’s clash with Barnsley at Wembley. The Owls will face their South Yorkshire rivals in the League One Play-Off Final.
Darren Moore will have finally come down from cloud nine after his team’s heroic performance in the semi-final against Peterborough. Trailing 4-0 from the first-leg at London Road, Wednesday won 5-1 at Hillsborough and won on penalties.
Now, that is nothing but ancient history. The Owls are looking to end their two-season exile from the second tier of the pyramid and they’ll hope to complete the job in the Wembley sunshine.
Ahead of today’s game, we’ve looked at how Moore could line his team up. It looks like being an interesting one, with the boss having some big decisions to make ahead of the final.
Predicted Sheffield Wednesday team to play Barnsley
The Wednesday rearguard
Cameron Dawson has dispossessed David Stockdale between the posts and he will hope to secure a second successive promotion after reaching League One with Exeter last season.
Elsewhere, Aden Flint could be in line for a recall. He’s actually a free agent after being released by Stoke City and he could return after being named as a substitute for the semi-final second leg.
He could line up alongside Michael Ihiekwe and Dominic Iorfa. Both central defenders were magnificent against Peterborough and it’d be incredibly harsh to drop either of them today.
The Wednesday engine room and wing-backs
Moore could go with a more reserved approach here. In the wing-back roles, he’s likely to go for energy and steely determination, however, with Liam Palmer and Marvin Johnson both set to play.
In the middle of the park, Barry Bannan will once again provide some composure and tenacity in the engine room. The Scottish star will also captain the side and he will hope to be lifting the trophy come the final whistle.
Alongside him, there could be a recall for Will Vaulks. He was also on the bench against Peterborough but he’s been a valued member of the team during the 2022/23 campaign.
Leading the Wednesday line
Josh Windass will provide the Owls with the creative spark in the number 10 role. He has the potential to be the man for the big occasion and this could be his moment to truly star.
Elsewhere, choosing who to play in attack should be quite straightforward. Michael Smith has scored 20 times this season and he will be partnered with Lee Gregory who will provide the work rate in Wednesday’s attack.
Here is how Wednesday’s team could look this afternoon:
