The Owls, who equally shared four goals with the Tigers when they met at Hillsborough on Boxing Day, playing out an entertaining 2-2 draw, suffered their 28th Championship defeat of the season last time out, being beaten 2-0 by automatic promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town.
That marked a 14th defeat in 15 league outings in 2026 for the Owls after they finally brought their long losing run to an end with a 1-1 draw against Watford at Hillsborough four days before the defeat to Ipswich.
With just eight games remaining, the Owls, who are currently on -6, remain determined to finish the season with a positive points tally, meaning they have work to do between now and the finish line on May 2.
Ahead of their trip to East Yorkshire, here are five pre-match talking points:
Lowe in contention
After the three months on the sidelines, Wednesday defender Max Lowe is in contention to make his long-awaited return to action this afternoon. The former Sheffield United man has not featured since suffering a calf injury in the Owls’ 3-1 defeat to Ipswich at Portman Road on September 20.
Lowe, 28, was originally expected to be sidelined for around six weeks, but he encountered a setback in his recovery in January, ruling him out for up to another two months, meaning he has missed each of Wednesday’s last 18 matches in all competitions.
Confirming Lowe is back in contention for the clash with the Tigers, Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen said: “Yes, he’s back available… It’s fantastic, Max has been a very important part of the last few years, and of course it’s a big asset to the squad that he’s back again.”
Elsewhere, the likes of Nathaniel Chalobah and Charlie McNeill, who missed last weekend’s clash with Ipswich through illness, will be pushing for starting berths.
Unpredictable Tigers
If Hull’s recent results and performances are anything to go by, it is often hard to predict what version of the Tigers is going to turn up. Although they currently occupy a play-off spot, their form has taken a nosedive in recent weeks, losing five of their last eight Championship matches.
Following back-to-back defeats at the hands of Ipswich Town (0-1) and Millwall (1-3), the Tigers got back to winning ways last midweek with an impressive 2-1 win over play-off rivals Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground. However, they followed that up with a 3-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion last weekend, putting in a miserable performance in the process.
Winning just three of their last nine league games, Hull have hit an underwhelming run of form at the worst possible time amid their quest to secure a top six finish. The Tigers, who are currently fifth, are just three points ahead of seventh-placed Wrexham.
With the chasing pack closing in, Hull boss Sergej Jakirović, understandably, has identified the visit of Wednesday as a must-win contest. A point will be enough to see them retain a play-off spot heading into the international break and ahead of their final seven games of the season.
Hull’s leading lights
If Hull are to get the better of the Owls and boost their play-off push, the chances are they will lean on strikers Oli McBurnie and Joe Gelhardt for inspiration. The duo have been nothing short of outstanding this season, scoring 13 Championship goals apiece.
