Meet the opposition | Sheffield Wednesday
As Swansea City get set to make the journey to Hillsborough, we take a closer look at Sheffield Wednesday.
What's their story?
Wednesday are in their third season back in the Championship after being promoted to the second tier in dramatic fashion at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
The Owls overcame a four-goal deficit to progress on penalties from their semi-final against Peterborough, before Josh Windass' goal late in stoppage time saw them beat Michael Duff's Barnsley team in the final.
Having been a top-flight mainstay for a number of years, they came close to returning to the Premier League twice under former Swans boss Carlos Carvalhal – in 2016 and 2017.
It is now 23 years since the Owls last appeared in the top-flight, and over 30 years since their only major trophy – the 1991 League Cup. They went on to reach the FA Cup and League Cup finals two years later, losing both to Arsenal.
They have endured a torrid summer off the pitch due to financial difficulties leading to late or unpaid wages, sanctions from the EFL and fan protests at the running of the club by owner Dejphon Chansiri.
How's their form?
Wednesday are winless in the Championship so far this season, but were unfortunate to lose to Leicester City on the opening weekend, before showing tremendous fighting spirit to battle back from two goals down to draw with Wrexham. Their other fixture saw a heavy defeat to Stoke.
They defeated Bolton Wanderers and Premier League Leeds to advance in their two Carabao Cup ties.
Who's the gaffer?
Henrik Pedersen. The Dane - not to be confused with the former Bolton striker of the same name - took over late in the summer as Danny Rohl left the south Yorkshire club after an uncertain off-season.
Pedersen built a reputation for developing young players in his homeland before becoming part of the Red Bull system of clubs.
His first senior position came with HB Koge, and he went on to become assistant boss at Union Berlin.
Pedersen then had the reins at Eintracht Braunschweig, Stromsgodset and Vendyssel FF before moving to Hillsborough as Rohl's assistant in 2023.
Who's the captain?
Barry Bannan. The Scot was given the armband at the start of the 2020-21 season, replacing Tom Lees as skipper.
The experienced midfielder has racked up over 450 appearances for the Owls during over 10 years at Hillsborough.
The winner of 27 Scotland caps, Bannan has been an integral part of the Owls team throughout his time at Hillsborough, bringing a bustling energy and the ability to create or score a goal out of nothing.
The 35-year-old, who started out at Aston Villa, has also played for Derby, Blackpool, Leeds, Crystal Palace and Bolton during his career.
He was tipped to leave Wednesday in the summer when his contract expired, but he committed his future to the club despite their off-field difficulties and is sure to be a vital figure in a youthful squad.
Who are the key men?
Jamal Lowe is a well-known name to Swansea fans following his two spells with the club.
The Jamaica International is one of the leaders in this Owls' squad, and has been entrusted with the captain's armband when required.
Lowe was initially on the books at Barnet and then spent a number of years in non-league - including a period where he trained on his own - before returning to the professional game with Portsmouth.
The rangy forward helped them to League Two success in 2017, scoring a crucial goal on the final day of the season, and an EFL Trophy triumph in 2019, before joining Wigan.
Lowe spent a year with the Latics before joining the Swans and reaching the 2021 Championship play-off final.
A move to Bournemouth followed where he did secure promotion to the Premier League in 2022. loan spells with Queens Park Rangers and the Swans followed, before his switch to Hillsborough in 2024.
Midfielder Svante Ingelsson has been a bright spark for Wednesday early in the season, with his physicality and ability to break up opposition attacks a key feature of his play.
The former Udinese man is starting his second campaign in south Yorkshire, having arrived from Hansa Rostock in the summer of 2024.
Ingelsson, a former Sweden Under-21 international, came through the ranks with Kalmar FF in his homeland before moving to Italy with Udinese in 2021.
He found game time hard to come by, and had loan spells with Pescara, Kalmar and SC Padeborn before his move to Rostock where he was a regular for much of his three seasons before the move to Wednesday.
French winger or full-back Yan Valery was a consistent performer for Wednesday after joining them in 2024.
Valery made the move to English football when he joined Southampton’s academy from Rennes in 2015, and progressed to make his senior debut for the Saints in 2018.
Ha made 53 senior appearances in total for the south-coast club, and also had a loan spell with Birmingham City, before returning to France with Angers in 2022.
The Tunisia international joined Wednesday ahead of the 2024-25 season, and was a near ever-present in the league for the Owls.