Wednesday will again try to stop the rot of their poor run of defeats when they visit Molineux to take on Wolves in the Championship this weekend.
The Owls have lost five games on the bounce in all competitions, the latest a 2-0 defeat at Southampton in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday night.
Molineux won’t be an easy place to go as Wolves look to bounce straight back to the Premier League, but they were put to the slaughter in their cup clash at Stamford Bridge in midweek, with Chelsea thrashing them 6-0.
Vital Quotes:
Owls boss Dave Jones told the official SWFC website:
“At this level you will get punished for mistakes but I`ve always maintained it`s a learning curve. Players, like we all have, have got to take responsibility and do their best and that`s all you can ask.
“At the moment, because we aren`t getting the results, we are not doing the things we are capable of. When you`re on a run like this, you try to be safe whereas when you`re flying, you do things without even thinking about it.
“The players have to stay strong, stay firm, keep listening, keep working and if they do that, and don`t change that, then you work your way out of it.
“We are in a very unforgiving business so you have got to make sure everything is right. I feel if we all do the things we should be doing, we will get the results we want.”
Wolves boss Ståle Solbakken told the official WWFC site:
“Wednesday are physically strong and are very strong at set-pieces. Three of the back four are very, very competitive in the air and they have Jay Bothroyd as well.
“So it`s important we don`t give away too many cheap set-pieces and are good against them. They score quite a few in this way and can do harm to any team on their day.
“They create a lot of chances and could destroy you at set-pieces, so we have to be aware of that.”
Wolverhampton Wanderers Team News:
Wolves will have no fresh injury concerns other than their long-term absentees in the treatment room.
Boss Ståle Solbakken confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Sylvan Ebanks-Blake would be ok to feature, despite suffering from a tight hamstring.
Stephen Hunt is also expected to feature, despite being hauled off at half-time of Wanderers’ League Cup clash at Chelsea.
Player to watch: Sylvan Ebanks-Blake
The former Manchester United man is leading scorer for Wolves so far this season and will be looking to find the back of the net again and help his side continue their rise up the Championship table.
Wednesday Team News:
Boss Dave Jones is expected to ring the changes again for another trip to one of his former clubs.
Jones tinkered with his team for the midweek cup clash and is expected to welcome back midfielder Ross Barkley and captain Martin Taylor, who were both cup-tied for the trip to Southampton.
There are still defensive problems, however, with Lewis Buxton not yet ready to return from a hamstring injury, while Reda Johnson is also struggling with a foot injury.
Rhys McCable will also be sidelined through injury alongside fellow midfielder Chris Lines, who’s yet to feature in the Championship.
Player to watch: Jay Bothroyd
Will he start or won’t he after his Twitter rant following last weekend’s defeat against Bolton? If he does, Owls fans will be hoping for a much-improved performance from their QPR loan striker.
Match Facts & Stats
Form:
Wolves: L-W-W-W-L
Wednesday: L-L-L-L-L
Head-to-Head:
Wolves wins: 42
Wednesday wins: 35
Draws: 31
Last Time Out:
Wednesday 0-1 Wolves
Hillsborough, 7/3/2009
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake grabbed the only goal as Wolves secured all three points the last time the sides met.
Next Fixtures:
v Burnley (A) – 2/10/12
