There is no denying the importance of tonight’s game.
A must-win for the Owls, three points against the Chairboys would see Wednesday escape the bottom three on goal difference whilst providing a real statement after the capitulation against Millwall at the weekend.
The epitome of a ‘game of two halves’ the Owls must forget the woes of the weekend and bounce back against the worst side in the league – it’s as simple as that.
The Owls have already shown a reaction following a defeat in the past couple of weeks – a poor loss to Coventry was followed up by impressive wins against Preston North End and Bournemouth. There is no better fixture to repeat this than Wycombe Wanderers – which fills no Wednesdayite with confidence knowing our record against sides in the ‘teams we should be beating’ category.
The reverse fixture saw the Owls lose 1-0 – a loss which made it four on the bounce at the time. Despite Wednesday enjoying 72% of possession that day, our final ball was non-existent and the performance was nothing short of embarrassing.
Since then, the Owls have endured the brief reign of Tony Pulis followed by the mini-resurgence under Neil Thompson. The issue on Saturday seemed to be sheer fatigue caused by the condensed fixture list – which was only exacerbated by the COVID 19 outbreak at the club.
For that reason, I think some changes should, and will be made. Wednesday must take this game to Wycombe Wanderers – not the other way round. In my opinion, a return to the starting lineup for Kadeem Harris and Josh Windass could allow this.
Whilst Kachunga has been solid in his recent starts, the fresh legs and channel-running from Windass could be a real difference-maker tonight. Similarly, Penney’s performance against Millwall was notably below par, and Harris’ ability to beat a man could be key if we are to win.
My Starting XI – Westwood; Lees, Hutchinson, Dunkley: Palmer, Pelupessy, Bannan, Reach, Harris; Paterson, Windass.
Score Prediction – 2-0 Wednesday. A tough one to call, one thing is for sure – my heart will take a beating tonight. One must, however, be positive when it comes to these sorts of fixtures and I firmly believe that the Owls will have enough in the tank to get over the line.
UTO!
Opinion Of An Owl 