Preview: Sheffield Wednesday vs. Port Vale - prediction, team news, lineups

The hosts remain just two points outside of the top two in the League One table after beating Fleetwood Town on Monday, while their visitors climbed to ninth spot with a win over Morecambe.

Match preview

Sheffield Wednesday come into Thursday's contest at Hillsborough on the back of an important victory last time out, having previously failed to gain ground in the fight for automatic promotion in League One.

Darren Moore's side sat on 40 points from 19 outings following three straight league victories, but they were then unable to add another notch to their wins column in three further attempts, firstly playing out a goalless stalemate away at Derby County before snatching a 1-1 draw against Exeter City thanks to Callum Paterson's injury-time equaliser.

The Owls would then take on Oxford United on home turf and come away with a point thanks to Cameron Dawson's penalty save deep into injury time, and while those three draws did stretch their unbeaten run to 10 matches in England's third tier, it meant they did not move any closer to catching leaders Plymouth Argyle and Ipswich Town, as a two-point gap to second place remained.

Vying to get back to winning ways, Moore's men made the trip to take on Fleetwood Town on Boxing Day, and after going behind following Shaun Rooney's early goal, they would quickly draw level through George Byers before Marvin Johnson netted the decisive goal 20 minutes from time to seal a crucial three-point haul.

While the gap to the top two was not narrowed as both Plymouth and Ipswich also triumphed, leaving the Owls two points behind the latter, they will have renewed confidence from picking up a victory and taking their league unbeaten run to 11 matches and will now aim to continue heaping pressure on the leaders with what would be a 14th League One victory of the season.

They face a difficult test, though, as Port Vale travel to Hillsborough having won three of their last four games in the third tier and climbed into the playoff race as a result.

After winning promotion from League Two last term, Darrell Clarke's side made a steady start to the new season, picking up 23 points from their opening 17 matches before suffering a disappointing 4-0 beating at the hands of Oxford United.

They would quickly bounce back, though, beating Charlton Athletic 1-0 thanks to Daniel Butterworth's goal on the hour mark before catching eyes with an impressive 2-0 victory away at league leaders Plymouth Argyle, as James Wilson netted two goals in a six-minute span in the second half.

Then on the back of 1-0 defeats away at Bristol Rovers and Salford City in the league and EFL Trophy respectively, the Valiants again set out to return to winning ways when they hosted Morecambe on Boxing Day, and they were successful in doing so, as Gavin Massey's 40th-minute goal made the difference between the two sides.

Thanks to their upturn in form, Port Vale have quickly climbed to ninth spot in England's third tier, and now with just a three-point gap up to the playoff places, they will again look to defy the odds and continue building momentum with a win away at one of the frontrunners for promotion.

Sheffield Wednesday League One form:

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Sheffield Wednesday form (all competitions):

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Port Vale League One form:

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Port Vale form (all competitions):

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Team News

Sheffield Wednesday welcomed key midfielders Barry Bannan and George Byers back to action on Boxing Day after injury troubles, and both should again start in the engine room on Thursday with the former donning the captain's armband.

Defender Dominic Iorfa could remain out of action alongside Ben Heneghan, though, meaning Liam Palmer should again join Mark McGuinness and Reece James in a back three with Nottingham Forest loanee Alex Mighten taking up a wing-back role on the opposite flank to Marvin Johnson.

Lee Gregory was forced off in the Fleetwood contest with an injury concern of his own, and Josh Windass should join Michael Smith up front in his expected absence, although Callum Paterson is also vying for a starting berth.

Gavin Massey should again play in attack alongside Ellis Harrison after hitting the winning goal last time out, although James Wilson is also pushing to return to the starting XI after being reduced to a substitute appearance last time out.

The front two will likely have support from Dennis Politic, while Tom Conlon and Ben Garrity are bound to continue their partnership in midfield.

Nathan Smith is a mainstay in the back three, and he should again be joined by Dan Jones and Lewis Cass in front of goalkeeper Jack Stevens after their clean sheet on Boxing Day.

Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:

Dawson; Palmer, McGuinness, James; Mighten, Bannan, Byers, Bakinson, Johnson; Windass, Smith

Port Vale possible starting lineup:

Stevens; Jones, Smith, Cass; Robinson, Garrity, Conlon, Benning; Politic; Massey, Harrison

We say: Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Port Vale

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