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Explained: Why Massimo Luongo missed Sheffield Wednesday’s FA Cup win over QPR

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Massimo Luongo was a surprise absentee in Sheffield Wednesday’s FA Cup fourth-round win over Queens Park Rangers. The 27-year-old was cleared to play after successfully appealing a controversial red card, but he didn’t feature on Friday night, to the bemusement of some.

Garry Monk told Alex Miller of the Sheffield Star: “Massimo had a sore groin.” Joey Pelupessy started alongside Sam Hutchinson in midfield against QPR as Luongo was left out of the matchday squad. It remains to be seen whether the Australian international will be fit to face Wigan Athletic on Tuesday too.

Monk won’t want to risk injury to Luongo by bringing him back early, so there’s a chance he could sit out next week and return against Millwall on February 1 instead. The 27-year-old has made 21 appearances for Wednesday this season, but he’s racked up only 820 minutes of football in the Championship.

Luongo has started just five league games in the last three months, so his absence isn’t the end of the world – Monk at least has Pelupessy and Barry Bannan to call upon.

How will Sheffield Wednesday fare against Wigan Athletic?

Win

Draw

Lose

Read Crippy Cooke’s previous article

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Sports journalist who is an avid football fan, enjoys debunking transfer rumours, loves to write pieces about players out in the cold and takes a large amount of pride getting a predicted XI 100% correct.