Sunderland's chances of moving up a league have faced a setback recently and they might encounter more disappointment when they travel to Sheffield Wednesday on Friday.
Sunderland have fallen eight points behind the top two teams in the Championship after losing consecutively to Leeds and Hull.
Sheffield Wednesday are also coming off two defeats against Coventry and Burnley as they head into Friday's match at Hillsborough, currently sitting in 13th place and six points away from the play-off positions.
Team news
Sheffield Wednesday will continue to be missing Di'Shon Bernard, Akin Famewo, Dominic Iorfa, Anthony Musaba, and Olaf Kobacki due to injuries for the upcoming clash on Friday.
Ibrahim Cissoko, who was brought in on loan from Toulouse in January, is vying for a spot in the starting lineup for the Owls.
Sunderland also has a number of players sidelined with Tom Watson, Aji Alese, Niall Huggins, Jayden Danns, Dan Ballard, and Enzo Le Fee all facing fitness issues.
The stats
Sheffield Wednesday have only won one of their last five league matches.
The Owls have drawn three out of their last four games played at home.
Wednesday have accumulated just 22 points in home games this season, with only Derby and Hull having fewer points on their own turf.
Josh Windass leads the scoring charts for Sheffield Wednesday with 10 goals this season.
Prior to losing their previous two games to Leeds and Hull, Sunderland had gone unbeaten in eight league matches.
The Black Cats emerged victorious with a 4-0 scoreline in the reverse fixture at the Stadium of Light back in August.
Wilson Isidor is Sunderland's top goal-scorer this season with 12 goals in the league.
Prediction
Two teams that had aspirations of promotion at the beginning of the season will clash at Hillsborough, both aiming to recover from recent setbacks.
Sunderland, currently in fourth place, face a significant challenge in narrowing the eight-point gap that has opened up between them and the top two. Meanwhile, Sheffield Wednesday's hopes for reaching the play-offs have also been dented recently, finding themselves in 13th position on the table.
Given the highly competitive nature of the Championship, despite the 17-point gap between the two sides, Friday's match is anticipated to be closely contested.
A draw would not be favorable for Sunderland's promotion prospects but could help halt their two-match losing streak.
Sheffield Wednesday have drawn three of their last four home games, and while they are also in need of a win on Friday, a draw might be the likely outcome for the hosts.