Sheffield Wednesday hold the advantage in the Play Off race going into the final few weeks of the Sky Bet Championship season.
The Owls boast a point advantage over Play Off rivals Fulham in the table and while The Cottagers have a better goal difference, it can be argued that Wednesday have the easier run in between now and the end of the campaign.
Carlos Carvalhal’s side face derby fixtures at Barnsley and struggling Rotherham United in their next two matches before entertaining league leaders Newcastle United at Hillsborough. Form usually counts for nothing in derby matches but The Owls are good enough on their day to beat their South Yorkshire rivals who are both enduring poor winless runs.
Home fixtures against Cardiff City and Derby County should provide opportunities to accrue more points while The Owls should not fear away trips at QPR and Ipswich Town.
Fulham’s upcoming fixtures look a little more tricky. Like Wednesday, The Cottagers visit basement boys Rotherham United before a difficult trip to Pride Park sees The Whites face Derby County. Slavisa Jokanovic’s side will be looking for three points when they face Ipswich Town at Craven Cottage but matches against Norwich City (away), improving Aston Villa (home) and Huddersfield Town (away) could really test Fulham’s promotion credentials. A home derby against Brentford will also push The Whites to the limit as the race for the top six enters it’s final stage.
The biggest clash of all could come at Hillsborough on the final day of the season when Fulham are the visitors to South Yorkshire in what could be a ‘winner takes all’ battle. Home advantage could be key in that match and while Sheffield Wednesday have not played attractive football at times this season they are capable of grinding out results and that factor may be key in Carvalhal’s men finishing in the top six.
