Preview: Doncaster Rovers vs. Sheffield Wednesday - prediction, team news, lineups

Two South Yorkshire sides will come face-to-face on Saturday afternoon when Sheffield Wednesday make the short journey to neighbours Doncaster Rovers.

League Two beckons for the hosts, whose perilous position worsens with each passing week, while the playoffs remain an outside bet for a stuttering Wednesday side.

Match preview

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Hovering just outside the top six, Wednesday have not enjoyed the standout season that they were expected to have since dropping down from the Championship last term.

A stop-start campaign has plagued their automatic promotion hopes, with the Sheffield side reliant on a top six finish should they wish to achieve an immediate return to the second tier.

Largely let down by their away form, Wednesday have struggled away from the comfort of their own home, picking up a lowly 21 points on the road, compared to 31 achieved at Hillsborough.

That said, even home advantage cost them last time out as they suffered a bruising 2-0 defeat to leaders Rotherham United.

For the second consecutive weekend, Wednesday face a Yorkshire rival with relegation candidate Doncaster the opponents for the Owls this weekend.

It is difficult to see where Doncaster accumulate enough points between now and the end of the campaign to avoid relegation, with their tally of 25 only bigger than rock-bottom Crewe Alexandra.

A victory against Lincoln City last time out did alleviate their troubles somewhat, but a six-point gap between them and safety looks as if it is a bridge too far.

If their meeting from earlier in the campaign is anything to go by, the visitors should have no problem taking all three points, given their comfortable 2-0 triumph at Hillsborough.

It is eight years since Doncaster last beat Wednesday, with Saturday's clash the perfect chance to set things right.

Team News

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Doncaster were indebted by a Dan Gardner penalty 10 minutes from time against Lincoln, with the midfield anchor-man expected to feature on Saturday.

Tommy Rowe and Matt Smith will line up alongside Gardner, with width coming from wing-backs Ben Jackson and Kyle Knoyle either side.

Leading the line will be Reo Griffiths and Josh Martin, with the pair no doubt desperate to end their woes in front of goal.

It has not been the return to English football that Saido Berahino may have wished for, having netted just once since joining from Zulte Waregem at the beginning of the season.

He has found minutes hard to come by so far and is likely to be kept on the bench, with starting berths handed to Callum Paterson and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.

Barry Bannan is adored around Hillsborough, and the 32-year-old will feature in midfield once again for the Owls, with George Byers and Massimo Luongo alongside him.

Doncaster Rovers possible starting lineup:
Mitchell; Younger, Williams, Olowu; Knoyle, Smith, Gardner, Rowe, Jackson; Martin, Griffiths

Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Peacock-Farrell; Storey, Hutchinson, Palmer; Hunt, Byers, Luongo, Bannan, Johnson; Paterson, Mendez-Laing

We say: Doncaster Rovers 1-3 Sheffield Wednesday

Wednesday may not have been at their free-flowing best for much of the campaign, but a victory against strugglers Doncaster is the only realistic option for the Owls should they hope to maintain playoff hopes.

Doncaster will likely make it difficult for the visitors, yet the Sheffield outfit should have enough to edge this one comfortably.

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