Sheffield Wednesday get underway in the Championship this weekend.
Sheffield Wednesday host Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle in what is the opening game of the 2024/25 Championship season this weekend.
Just a few month ago, Sheffield Wednesday beat Sunderland 2-0 to secure their Championship status in dramatic fashion on the final day of the 2023/24 campaign.
Fast forward to now and the Owls are a new-look side; Danny Rohl has signed a new contract, nine new players have joined the first-team squad, and Sheffield Wednesday look set to sign Ike Ugbo on a permanent deal from Troyes.
The club is on an upward trajectory and Plymouth may be fearing the worst ahead of their trip to South Yorkshire, with Rooney outlining some concerns he has about his current team and the XI he’ll play on Saturday.
For Rohl, his XI seems to be have been narrowing itself down throughout the pre-season, and it’s likely we’ll see near-enough the same XI that played Leganes in Liam Palmer’s testimonial last weekend.
Akin Famewo set for rare Sheffield Wednesday start vs Plymouth Argyle
Expect Rohl to don a 4-2-3-1 formation. And when fit, Di’Shon Bernard should walk into the Wednesday XI, with centre-back options generally quite thin on the ground right now.
Bernard signed a new Sheffield Wednesday contract this summer. But he joined the pre-season preparations late due to uncertainty over his future, and his presence in Copa America with Jamaica.
He was left out of the entire squad in the draw vs Leganes with Akin Famewo starting in the middle of defence alongside Dominic Iorfa.
Iorfa also signed a new deal this summer and Rohl seems to fancy his pace and athleticism at the back.
Famewo meanwhile seems as though he’ll return to the bench as and when Bernard is fit.
For now though, Famewo looks set to start this weekend, and it’ll be a huge chance to impress both Rohl and the fans, with the Englishman having proved divisive among supporters.
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Can Akin Famewo play an important role for Sheffield Wednesday this season
Famewo played at both left-back and centre-back last season. Often times, he was criticised by fans for certain performances.
But he’s played regularly in pre-season, starting most games at centre-back alongside Iorfa, which looks set to be the centre-pairing going into the Plymouth game.
As ever, Rohl will want Famewo and the defenders to play the ball out from the back, which is where Famewo will either succeed or fail this weekend.
And being the first game of the season, with expectations high, there’ll be added pressure on Famewo to perform.
If he can put in a good shift and impress in the absence of Bernard, then Famewo could well give Rohl a bit of a selection headache when all centre-back option are fit and available.