Sheffield Wednesday host league leaders Wolves in the Championship on Friday.
The pre-match pub talk, ahead of Sheffield Wednesday versus Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday, is likely to centre on the future of one man.
Many Wednesday fans have reached the end of their tether with head coach Carlos Carvalhal, whose fate could be decided by a negative result at Hillsborough, according to the Sun on Sunday.
Whether unperturbed or oblivious, the Portuguese insisted at a press conference on Thursday that he will still be in charge regardless of what happens against the side he deems the best the Championship has seen in recent years.
And despite his side’s poor run of form – no wins in five – Carvalhal perhaps has good reason not to fear the landslide result that many – be they of a Wednesday persuasion or not – are expecting.
The Owls beat eventual champions Newcastle United home and away last season, while five of their six victories this campaign have come against teams above them in the table – granted, they are 15th – notably those over Aston Villa and Leeds United.
Had Wednesday bothered to turn up against only 50 per cent of Norwich, Hull, QPR, Barnsley, Bolton, Birmingham, Sunderland and Burton, they’d probably be in the play-offs.
As for Carvalhal’s team selection, he should have Norwich absentees Jack Hunt and Steven Fletcher back in contention, while Kieran Lee could come into the starting line-up – at the expense of Ross Wallace – to give the Owls greater protection in the centre of the park.
Here’s how we think Sheffield Wednesday could look against Wolves:
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