League One Sheffield Wednesday welcome Championship side Huddersfield Town to Hillsborough Stadium on Sunday 1 August in the first round of the Carabao Cup.

Both sides will hope to put last year’s end-of-the-season disappointments behind them and start this campaign on a better note with a victory on Sunday afternoon.

The Owls were relegated on the final day after failing to beat Derby County, who stayed up at Wednesday’s expense.

The Terriers, on the other hand, survived as they finished 20th and six points above the bottom three. They endured a woeful second half of the season, though, winning just three of their 24 league fixtures in 2021.

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Team news

New signings Dennis Adeniran, Olamide Shodipo, Jaden Brown, Lewis Wing, Bailey Peacock-Farrell, and Jack Hunt could all be in line to make their debuts.

However, it is unknown whether forward Florian Kamberi has received international clearance in time to feature after signing on loan from Swiss side St Gallen.

Wednesday’s top scorer last season with 10 goals, Josh Windass, is expected to be out for a “considerable amount of time” according to manager Darren Moore.

The Owls will also keep a close eye on the fitness of Barry Bannan and Callum Paterson ahead of the fixture.

Aaron Rowe has a problem with his foot and former Owls loanee Rolando Aarons is also struggling with a knee injury.

Carlos Corberán has also confirmed that Pipa will not feature at the weekend, as he continues to suffer from a groin injury; this will most likely see Ollie Turton make his debut for the Terriers.

New acquisitions Matty Pearson, Josh Ruffles, Levi Colwill, Jordan Rhodes, and Danel Sinani could all make their debuts on Sunday as well.

The Town boss has also not let slip about his preferred starting goalkeeper, as new signing Lee Nicholls and Ryan Schofield have been battling it out in pre-season for that spot.

Predicted line-up

Sheffield Wednesday (3-4-1-2):

Peacock-Farrell; Iorfa, Hutchinson, Dunkley; J. Hunt, Wing, Adeniran, Brown; Bannan; Adedoyin, Shodipo.

Huddersfield Town (4-3-3):

Nicholls; Turton, Pearson, Colwill, Toffolo; O’Brien, Hogg, High; Thomas, Rhodes, Koroma.

Form guide

Wednesday began pre-season with two straight victories over National League North sides Chester and Alfreton Town, winning 2-0 and 1-0 respectively.

They were then beaten by Barnsley and West Bromwich Albion before rounding off their preparations with a 2-1 victory over Port Vale at Vale Park.

The Terriers played four friendlies in total ahead of Sunday’s fixture.

Josh Koroma’s first-half strike handed Town an opening victory against Harrogate Town before they put two past Southport.

Corberán’s side then suffered back-to-back defeats against Norwich City and Fleetwood Town.

Ones to watch

Sheffield Wednesday – Jaden Brown

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Brown joined the Owls from Huddersfield and the 22-year-old will be looking to punish his former side by impressing his new employers on Sunday.

He made 28 appearances across two seasons with the West Yorkshire club, as he struggled to hold down a starting spot over regular left-back, Harry Toffolo, spending most of his time playing in the club’s B Team.

His qualities shine when going forward, as he likes to take on a man before drifting inside and trying to drill the ball past the goalkeeper; he also has an excellent delivery for when he is shown on the outside.

A move to S6 is a fresh start for Brown, as he looks to cement regular first-team football for the first time in his short career so far.

Huddersfield Town – Jordan Rhodes

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Rhodes returned to Huddersfield for his second spell this summer, joining on a free from Sheffield Wednesday, where he endured an underwhelming time in S6.

Like Brown, his summer move has allowed him a fresh beginning, where he will hope to resurrect his career.

In his first spell with the Terriers, he netted 87 goals in 148 games between 2009 and 2012, and he helped the club to promotion through the League One play-offs in the 2011/12 campaign.

Rhodes has also scored seven goals in his last nine games against Wednesday, including four in his last trip to Hillsborough in a Huddersfield shirt.

Previous meetings

It ended in a 1-1 draw the last time these two faced each other at Hillsborough.

The Owls kept their survival hopes alive by taking the lead in the 36th minute, as Windass latched onto a ball over the top before slamming the ball past Schofield.

However, Town got back on level terms with 20 minutes to go, as Paterson was unable to get out the way of Keiren Westwood’s parried save from Naby Sarr’s effort, bundling the ball into his own net.

The reverse fixture saw Town victorious, as goals from Koroma and Isaac Mbenza handed the Terriers a 2-0 win at the John Smith’s Stadium.

What the managers have said

Town boss Corberán says that he is taking it one game at a time, starting with Sunday’s trip to S6.

"Sunday will be a very good challenge for us, it'll be a very good test,” said Corberán, speaking in his pre-match press conference.

"We'll go into that game with a lot of concentration and aim to do our best.

"Right now, we're concentrating on Sunday. After Sunday, we will concentrate on the Championship."

How to watch

Supporters are now allowed in grounds at full capacity and are available to be purchased on the gate at Hillsborough Stadium.

You can only listen to the game on either club’s website through iFollow if you’re unable to attend the fixture and live in the UK.

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