Sheffield Wednesday: Carvalhal lays down gauntlet to midfield

The instrumental midfielder will miss their next three fixtures after his red card against Nottingham Forest last weekend.

Sam Hutchinson is in contention for a first-team recall after overcoming an illness.

Carvalhal said: “Barry [Bannan] and Kieran Lee have had amazing seasons. They have regularly played, all the time at a good level.

“We play with two players in the centre so it is hard for the guys who play in that position.

“We have Sam, Jose Semedo, Lewis McGugan and Alex Lopez. We trust all the players 300 per cent but we can only play two. When we have this situation, we must choose the best players for each game.

“If one player can’t play, it opens a door for someone else.”

Speaking at his press briefing yesterday, Carvalhal described Bannan’s dismissal as an “injustice”, claiming that was the fifth refereeing decision which has gone against them in the last six matches.

Carvalhal, who has confirmed winger Modou Sougou has had an operation on a leg injury this week, said: “We don’t agree with the decision. It is an injustice that he stays out because he tried to win the ball.

“Some of my players have received some hard kicks that can break legs and other players don’t receive a punishment. It is something very strange to me.”

He added: “We accept the decision and can do absolutely nothing. We have just added one more incident to our portfolio.

“Barry is an important player in the team and I’m very disappointed that he can’t play. He is a boy who likes to play. He enjoys what he is doing but we have won before without him. These kind of things make us strong.”