Carlos Carvalhal will return to Hillsborough on Saturday afternoon, as the former Sheffield Wednesday boss takes his in-form Swansea City side to the Championship venue in an intriguing FA Cup fifth-round tie, but the Portuguese manager has already stated that he has his eyes firmly set on Premier League safety, and any cup heroics will be an added bonus, but the top-flight club will head into the live BT Sport clash as the favourites, as they look to build on their fine 8-1 annihilation of Notts County in their recent fourth-round replay.
Carvalhal parted company with Wednesday in December, and has since blossomed at the Liberty Stadium propelling the Welsh club out of the Premier League relegation zone, and one defeat in 11 games has seen him become a firm fan's favourite in south Wales, and he is sure to want to put one over his previous employers, but he is sure to ring the changes, like he has done in previous rounds of the cup, and Wednesday will fancy their chances of bagging a notable top-flight scalp.
Jos Luhukay's Wednesday booked a fifth-round spot with a fine 3-1 win over Reading, and the Owls warmed up for this game with a fine 2-0 win over Derby County in midweek, and with only one defeat in six games, the home side will be aiming to continue their decent run of form of late, but Swansea showed when trouncing Notts County in their last FA Cup match, that changes to personnel doesn't hinder their team dynamics, and the likes of Tammy Abraham and Nathan Dyer, who both grabbed a brace in that win over County, will be aiming to shine once again.
Team News
Sheffield Wednesday will have some notable players missing for this match with Scottish international Barry Bannan out with a hip injury, while tricky forward Fernando Forestieri (knee) and Sam Hutchinson (hernia) are another couple of stars that will not take to the field for Luhukay's men, who will be aiming to book a quarter-final spot in this year's FA Cup.
Carvalhal has a host of injuries within his squad and the likes of Leroy Fer (ankle) and Wilfried Bony (ACL) are sidelined for the rest of the season, with Renato Sanches (hamstring) and Angel Rangel (calf) another pair set to miss the game through injury, while new recruits Andre Ayew and Andy King will be ineligible for the Swans, having played earlier in the competition for other teams.
Recent Head-to-Head Record
There two sides have not played each other for several years, and their last four notable meetings have taken place in the Championship, and in that quartet of matches it has seen Sheffield Wednesday unable to record a win, but with home advantage they will be eager to alter that record
- Championship - 13th March 2010 - Swansea City 0-0 Sheffield Wednesday
- Championship - 19th December 2009 - Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Swansea City
- Championship - 21st March 2009 - Sheffield Wednesday 0-0 Swansea City
- Championship - 30th August 2008 - Swansea City 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Verdict
Carlos Carvalhal has been a revelation since his move to Swansea City, and even though he has stated his main priorities are on the Premier League, his side showed with their demolition of Notts County that they are a huge force in this year's FA Cup, and they can book their quarter-final spot with a narrow win over Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday afternoon.
Prediction: Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Swansea City
