Preview: Sheffield Wednesday away

Hillsborough is the venue for a big clash at the foot of the Championship tomorrow, as 21st place Sheffield Wednesday host a Wolves side currently sitting in 18th. The two sides are seperated by only 4 points and a defeat at Hillsborough could spell real trouble for Wolves. However, a win for Dean Saunders' side could see them go up to 15th and put some real breathing space between them and the bottom 3.

Sako's free-kick won it for Wolves in September

The recent omens for Wolves are good. Our last meeting with The Owls, back in September, was one of the highlights of the season as a 1-0 win at Molineux saw Stale Solbakken's men in the dizzy heights of 3rd. It was a game Wolves controlled from the 10th minute onwards, with Bakary Sako's re-taken free-kick the difference on the day. But in general, Wolves have a fantastic record against this weekend's opponents - winning their last 6 meetings and indeed only suffering 1 defeat in their last 20 meetings. Indeed at Hillsborough, you have to look even further back for the last time Wolves came away empty handed - September 1964 to be precise. Since then, Wolves have travelled North 14 times and come away victorious 7 times. Our last trip to Hillsborough was back in our promotion season and it was part of the run that kickstarted our season - a 1-0 win courtesy of a 5th minute Ebanks-Blake goal in March 2009.

Sheffield Wednesday's disappointing Cup exit to MK Dons

Since that sunny afternoon in September, Sheffield Wednesday's season has almost mirrored Wolves' - only the decline hasn't been as noticeable. The 1-0 defeat at Molineux was part of a run of winless League run of 8 games to ruin the good start to their season and crank the pressure up on Dave Jones. They eventually won again at the end of October - a 3-0 success away to Ipswich Town. That was followed up by a 2-1 home win over Peterborough, but since then The Owls have only won 4 League games as well as being dumped out of the FA Cup 3rd Round this week after a 2-0 replay defeat at MK Dons. As bad as the long-term picture is looking for Wednesday, the recent form makes the situation look so much better. They are joint top of the Championship form table, winning 4 and drawing 1 of their last 6 games to lift the pressure surrounding former-Wolves boss Jones. However, it is their away form that's keeping their heads above water. They have only won 1 of their last 6 home games (losing the other 5) and only scoring 5 goals in that period whilst conceding 11. So it's safe to say home comforts haven't been a feature of much of Wednesday's season. Goals, too, haven't been a regular occurence for them, with Wednesday being the 3rd lowest scorers in the league, average 1.14 goals a game. However, they've only conceded an average of 1.59 goals per game - 6 teams have a worse record - indicating it's their lack of goals that costs them, rather than letting too many in. Nothing backs this up more than the fact that they have failed to score in more games than any other team in the division - 10 times in all. But there is some good team news for Wednesday, with Chris Kirkland and Anthony Gardner set to play whilst cup-tied midfielder Jeremy Helan and suspended midfielder David Prutton both available for this weekend's clash.

Johnson gets the crowd going after scoring against Blackburn

As for Wolves, they'll be looking to build on last weekend's credible draw at home to Blackburn. The team will be encouraged by just how much they dominated the game at Molineux last Friday and that should spur them on to success at a ground they've enjoyed visiting in recent years. This weekend's clash highlights just how severe our collapse has been this season. Since that 1-0 win that lifted us to 3rd, we've only won 4 times and 3 of those wins came in December. In short, it's been a truly horrific season. Whilst Wednesday are joint-top of the form table, we're joint-bottom with only 4 points from our last 6 games. Given that The Owls find scoring a problem this season, Wolves can feel confident of keeping their first clean sheet in 7 League games. The Midlanders have conceded just 1.44 goals per game this season - to leave them sitting firmly in the middle of the table for that particular stat. However, there's one very interesting stat that stands out to me - Wolves are the only side in the entire top 5 divisions of English football (Prem to Conference) to not draw an away League game this season. So whatever happens tomorrow, it's unlikely to be a point apiece.

Danny Bath had a fantastic time on loan at Hillsborough

On the team news front, Jamie O'Hara is likely to make his first League start of the season tomorrow after impressing as a substitute in last Friday's 1-1 draw with Blackburn, whilst Jake Cassidy and Kevin Doyle are both expected to be up front together again. Saunders has also hinted at the possibility of playing Kevin Foley on the right of midfield again, something that has created great unhappiness amongst fans. It is clear to all watching on that Foley is uncomfortable on the pitch in general, let alone on the right-wing. Slawomir Peszko is still returning to full match fitness, but the Polish winger is fans' clear preferred choice on the right-side. The Pole seems happy to stay at Wolves too, despite the departure of Solbakken, and for a fee of £500k he could be ours permanently. From what I've seen of him, I urge the club to sign him up asap. At the back, Danny Batth makes his first return to Hillsborough since his promotion-winning loan spell there last season. He's sure to get a hero's welcome from fans who regard him as one of the best centre-backs they've seen there in recent years. Sadly (and bewilderingly) he's unlikely to be in the starting line-up as yet another Wolves manager persists with the shocking Christophe Berra.

With both sides having a mixed bag in terms of recent form, and their respective seasons in general, there's no telling which way this will go. The weather conditions will only heighten the unpredictability that comes naturally with Championship football. But don't be surprised to see Wolves invigorated after another week with Saunders, and it's that extra spark that I think will see Wolves continue their good recent record at Hillsborough.

Prediction: Sheffield Weds 1-2 Wolves