VIDEO: Why Sheffield Wednesday chief Carlos Carvalhal is refusing to take Preston North End lightly

Boss Carlos Carvalhal expects Preston North End to provide stern opposition at Hillsborough tomorrow as Wednesday bid to keep their improved form going.
Carlos CarvalhalCarlos Carvalhal
Carlos Carvalhal

Buoyed after picking up two positive results on the road against Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers, the Owls host the Lilywhites knowing three points could move them into the Championship’s top-six.

But Carvalhal, who will be without the services of Gary Hooper (hamstring) and Marco Matias (groin), is refusing to underestimate the threat Preston will pose.

The Portuguese head coach insisted: “There are no easy games in the Championship. Preston are a tough team to play against. They haven’t lost in the last three games.

“They are doing very well in the Championship, especially away from home.

“They are a solid team and the coach is doing very well and we expect a difficult game. But we are focusing on ourselves.

“My players feel strong and confident and we are ready for all the opponents.”

Carvalhal cited Newcastle United’s recent home loss to Blackburn Rovers as an example of the unpredictable nature of the second-tier.

“We know the competition and what can happen,” he said. “Look at what happened to Newcastle in the last game.

“Nobody expected them to lose at home to Blackburn but that is the Championship. I respect Blackburn but these kind of accidents can happen to everybody.”

Three of Wednesday’s next four fixtures are at Hillsborough and Carvalhal is calling on the fans to roar them to victory this weekend.

He said: “The fans are unbelievable.

“When we are together and fight for the same thing, we are strong. We need unity.

“We need 11 players on the pitch and 28-29,000 fans singing the same songs and pushing the team. When we play with the full support of the fans, we win all the games in Hillsborough so far.”