The Owls were strong at both ends last season.
Sheffield Wednesday head coach Carlos Carvalhal played down the significance of clean sheets in an interview with BBC Radio Sheffield on Thursday.
The Owls, who had the Championship’s sixth best defence last season, have conceded in each of their last five outings, after shutting out relegated pair Aston Villa and Norwich City in their opening two fixtures.
Despite taking seven points from their last nine available, Carvalhal’s men retain a negative goal difference heading into Saturday’s fixture at Birmingham City.
The Portuguese, however, is only bothered about preserving the winning streak at St. Andrew’s.
“You know what I think about clean sheets,” he told BBC Radio Sheffield when questioned on the matter. “We are trying all the time to don’t take goals and we are trying all the time to score goals. So when we prepare a team we don’t prepare a team to achieve a clean sheet. We prepare a team to win.
“When we are in this balance, when we don’t take goals and we score goals, of course, we are happy but I’m absolutely sure we will be more happy if we win.”
Wednesday have equalled their club-record tally of league clean sheets in a single season (17) in each of the last two, yet only four clubs outscored the Owls in the Championship last term.
Carvalhal has been without regular centre-half pick Glenn Loovens since May’s play-off final defeat to Hull City, but the Hillsborough skipper could make his long-awaited return in the absence of Sam Hutchinson (suspended) at Birmingham.
Either Loovens or Vincent Sasso, who played the final half an hour of Tuesday’s win against Bristol City, should feature alongside Tom Lees at the back.
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