Sheffield Wednesday travel to Oakwell this Tuesday to face Barnsley in the South-Yorkshire derby, with Barnsley manager Michael Duff hopeful they can end the Owls unbeaten streak in the League.
The Owls currently sit at the top of League One, one point above Plymouth Argyle with two games in hand. Wednesday will enter the game coming off the back of a 1-1 draw against Bolton Wanderers last week. The draw extends their unbeaten league run to an impressive 23 games, but they will be looking to regain their winning streak.
Barnsley last game was a victory away at Wycombe Wanderers, with Slobodan Tedic scoring a late minute winner. The Tykes were relegated from the Championship last season, and sit at fourth place in the table, well in with a chance of promotion. They also have two games in hand on second place Plymouth Argyle and third place Ipswich Town, so a chance to climb up the table is certainly within reach.
Like the Owls, the Tykes are also on an unbeaten league run, having not lost since the middle of January so both teams are entering the clash in fantastic form.
Barnsley manager Michael Duff said: “To go half a season unbeaten, I know the significance, it’s an unbelievable achievement. Hopefully we can end it.
“They’re the games they want to play in. You can make yourself a hero and write yourself in folklore in certain parts of the country.”
Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Will Vaulks said the game against Barnsley is “a huge one” and “vital” for Wednesday’s title challenge.
He added: “We want to go there and give them one back but at the end of the day it’s only about the three points to try and push us closer to that goal of promotion.”
The last clash between the Owls and the Tykes saw Barnsley emerge victorious at Hillsborough, with goals coming from Devante Cole and James Norwood.
For Barnsley, Cole will be pushing to make the starting XI, with Norwood expected to operate in his usual position at centre forward.
As for Wednesday, Gregory may maintain his position alongside Josh Windass, with Barry Bannan operating central midfield alongside Fiasyo Dele-Bashiru and Will Vaulks.
Wednesday could be missing midfielder George Byers, who also missed the clash against Bolton last Saturday. The Owls boss Darren Moore said Byers would be “50/50” for the game on Tuesday.
The game is at Barnsley’s Oakwell Stadium on the 21 March and kicks off at 8pm.
