Both aiming to bounce back from midweek defeats in their fights at opposite ends of the League One table, Doncaster Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday will contest a South Yorkshire derby at Club Doncaster Sports Village on Saturday.

Back-to-back defeats leave the hosts only above the relegation zone on goal difference, while their visitors fell out of the playoff spots following an away loss.

Match preview

Doncaster Rovers head into the weekend aiming to bounce back from consecutive defeats and build a lead over League One's relegation zone.

After eventually finishing 14th in their first season back in the third tier last time around, they have experienced a tough start to the new term, managing nine points from their first 10 games thanks to two victories alongside five defeats.

Those wins came consecutively either side of the September and October international break, with Grant McCann's side beating Burton Albion 1-0 on their return to action, but they have failed to build on that since, firstly visiting Leicester City and falling short in a 2-1 loss as Alfie May's 84th-minute goal was not enough to spark a comeback.

The Rovers then hosted Stockport County in another tough test at the weekend and came away empty-handed, with Mamadou Jobe and Kyle Wootton scoring goals early in the second half of a 2-0 away win.

Still outside of the bottom four thanks to those recent wins, but now sat 19th and only above two teams on goal difference and 22nd and 23rd spots by one point, Doncaster Rovers will bid to get back to winning ways and move closer towards mid-table at the weekend.

Their visitors, meanwhile, make the short trip also hoping to bounce back from a midweek setback in their bid for an immediate promotion back to the Championship.

Enjoying a fresh start out of administration and under new ownership after a 2025-26 season to forget, Sheffield Wednesday have made a relatively fast start to life back in League One, earning 18 points from their 10 matches.

While their tally of 20 goals does catch the eye, 12 of those came across two dominant victories for the Owls, who have also failed to score in three of their last five league games including their two before the break.

On their return, Henrik Pedersen's men came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Huddersfield Town and thrashed AFC Wimbledon 5-0 last weekend, only to visit Notts County in midweek and suffer a first league loss since August as Daniel Kanu and Darius Lipsiuc scored in a 2-0 home win with the Owls reduced to 10 men early in the second half.

Now sat seventh but still just four points behind first and second spots with a game in hand on every side in the top six, Sheffield Wednesday will look to put their recent blips behind them and return to their dominant best in Saturday's derby.

Doncaster Rovers League One form:

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Doncaster Rovers form (all competitions):

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Sheffield Wednesday League One form:

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Sheffield Wednesday form (all competitions):

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Team News

Doncaster Rovers remain hit by injuries, with James Collins, Francis Okoronkwo, Matty Pearson, James Husband, Tommi O'Reilly, Jack Senior, Jamie Sterry and Jordan Thomas all likely remaining sidelined.

Those losses leave them particularly light in defence, leading McCann to switch to a back three of Sean Grehan, Neill Byrne and Jay McGrath in recent games.

Will Keane, Hakeeb Adelakun and Isaac Hutchinson will all push for attacking starts after Brandon Hanlan and Alfie May joined star man and captain Owen Bailey at the top end of the pitch in midweek.

Sheffield Wendesday also have a long list of absentees, with Louie Barry, Joe Lumley, Tyler Onyango, Ricardo Santos, Jordi Liongola and Sil Swinkels sidelined while Di'Shon Bernard was also forced off early in their midweek defeat as he continued a return from a long-term injury.

Jamal Lowe will also miss out through suspension after being sent off against Notts County, as will key midfielder Callum Slattery, who has reached five league yellow cards for the season.

Gabriel Otegbayo may start at the back in Bernard's absence, while Kieran Morrison and Mason Burstow may join Davis Keillor-Dunn and Harry Gray at the top end of their 4-2-3-1 setup.

Doncaster Rovers possible starting lineup:

Simkin; Grehan, Byrne, McGrath; Ayinde, Gotts, Broadbent, McCann; Bailey, May, Hutchinson

Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:

Maynard-Brewer; Valery, Cooper, Otegbayo, James; Mitchell, Bannan; Morrison, Keillor-Dunn, Gray; Burstow

We say: Doncaster Rovers 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday's squad is badly hit by injuries and suspensions, but the remaining group still has plenty of quality and should be able to bounce back against a Doncaster Rovers team low on confidence.

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