Sheffield Wednesday: Depleted Owls look to bounce back

Seven first-team players missed Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa with various ailments.

To compound their woes, captain Glenn Loovens was forced off with a knock late in the second half as the Owls crashed to a second consecutive defeat on the road.

Wednesday could be without three senior centre-backs when they welcome promotion hopefuls Reading to Hillsborough on Friday. Loovens and Tom Lees face a race against time to be fit while Vincent Sasso will begin his three-match ban following his red card at Villa Park.

Boss Carlos Carvalhal said: “If you as ask me with Tom Lees, with Kieran Lee, with Sam Hutchinson, with Gary Hooper, with Almen Abdi, with Fernando Forestieri if we are more strong – then I will say yes, we are more strong.

“We would have more options so of course it would make us stronger. But we will not cry over the players we don’t have.

“We must live with the players that we have and we have plenty here and a lot of confidence in all of them.”