Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to earn back-to-back victories this evening.
The Owls enjoyed the perfect start to the Championship campaign as they thrashed Plymouth Argyle 4-0 on home soil.
Danny Rohl is now expected to make wholesale changes to his team to face Hull City tonight though, with the likes of Pol Valentin, Olaf Kobacki and Pierce Charles likely to be given the chance to impress.
Valentin finds himself in a difficult situation after becoming a ‘fan favourite’ last season.
The Spaniard started off his time at Hillsborough very poorly, but Rohl’s arrival transformed him and he become a vital player as he started 16 of their last 20 matches.
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Valentin is no longer Sheffield Wednesday’s number one right-back
Valentin’s place suddenly looked uncertain when Yan Valery was brought in the summer though, with Rohl clearly fond of the right-back from their time together at Southampton.
The German chose Valery to start the match against Plymouth and his faith was quickly repaid, with the 25-year-old named as Sky Sports’ Man of the Match.
Valentin will be well aware that his regular spot in the starting line-up is now looking very bleak, but he now looks likely to have one big chance to change Rohl’s mind.
The ‘dangerous’ defender will face Championship opposition this evening and will have to give it his all to show that he is still very much worthy of his place in the squad.
The Spaniard needs to keep Hull City quiet tonight
Valentin could come up against Hull new boy Liam Millar, who was one of the Championship’s best wingers last season.
If he can prevent Millar from doing any damage and also keep a clean sheet, then Rohl will surely have to recognise that Valery isn’t necessarily guaranteed his place.
However, if Valentin disappoints tonight then he could be in trouble.
Valery already looks set to nail down his place in the coming weeks, and if Wednesday are knocked out of the Carabao Cup then Valentin’s chances to catch him up will rapidly decrease.
The right-back was flying last season but he could well fall behind this time round, and he certainly doesn’t want to risk losing his excellent form.
While it was hugely beneficial for the Owls to have healthy competition in each position, if Valery continues to impress as much as he did, then Valentin may have to get used to sitting on the bench.