Alex Reid looks at whether the once ever-present appearance of English clubs in the later stages of the Champions League is set to become a thing of the past
Craig Dobson looks at QPR's decision to sack Neil Warnock and replace him with Mark Hughes
Andy Pakes previews this Sunday afternoon clash in the first edition of Game of the Week for 2012
Dave Hughes tells us about his sporting hero, Wes Morgan
Neither Wednesday or United have reached anything like their potential in the last few years, and the fact that they are both languishing in League One illustrates that point fairly nicely. However, Sunday’s game will give both sets of fans a certain amount of relief from the reality that they find their clubs stuck in. The game will have an atmosphere worthy of a top flight clash, and the bragging rights that will be taken from the game by the winning team will be immeasurably significant when compared to the unfortunate aspect that the match is being played in the third tier of English football.
So what are each club’s chances? Well as with all derbies, tossing a coin would probably give you as much of an indication as to who will emerge victorious as trying to predict the outcome. Wednesday sit second in the league at the moment with United just behind them in seventh having played one game less. Recent form shows strong performances from both clubs, but also the tendency to lose winnable games, with United going down to Wycombe and Wednesday taking a hammering at Stevenage in recent weeks. It would seem as though the only predictable thing about Sunday’s game is its unpredictability.
I personally believe that the derby will be won or lost by the key players in each side. For Wednesday, if Gary Madine comes to the party and plays well, then I think they will win because he will provide the cutting edge up front that United somewhat lack. Madine currently tops the League One top scorers’ chart and has already bagged ten goals this season. His strength, power and finishing ability are the best in the League in my opinion, and working out how to stop him has provided many managers and centre backs with headaches all year. However, Madine’s ugly side is that he has the potential to be ill disciplined and sometimes lacks a cool head. If United try and rough him up early then he could react in an unsavoury way and potentially cause a huge problem for his own team.
For United, I’m going to single out the defender that will be responsible for keeping Madine quiet on Sunday, Harry Maguire. The 18 year old centre back is richly gifted and will almost certainly apply his trade in higher leagues in the future. I don’t doubt that Maguire is technically good enough to have a good game on Sunday, but the game will certainly test his temperament. To ask an 18 year old to play in front of 35,000 fans for his boyhood club against their arch rivals whilst keeping a clear head and full concentration is a huge ask. However, Maguire has earned his place within United’s back four this year, and in reality a game with the magnitude of a Steel City derby could bring out the best in him.
I guess it’s time for the ultimate question – who am I backing? Well I physically couldn’t predict anything other than a Sheffield Wednesday win, it’s not in my nature to back the other lot. However, I don’t think that there is an awful lot between the teams and it will come down to heart, steel and nerve when Sunday afternoon arrives. I think Wednesday have what it takes, so I’ll back them to win 2-1, but there’s no denying that the game will be close. No pressure lads...
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