Carvalhal waiting to assess how Sheffield Wednesday are shaping up

The Owls – one of the pre-season favourites for automatic promotion to the Premier League – have made a sluggish start to the campaign.

After 16 games, they sit 11th in the Championship, 10 points behind second-placed Sheffield United.

But Carvalhal, whose side host fourth-placed Bristol City tomorrow at Hillsborough, is refusing to panic.

Carvalhal believes the 13 games between now and the end of January will afford a better indicator of how Wednesday will fare this season.

“If you look to the competition this season compared to the last two, we haven’t played too many games in a row, we are playing one game a week, so far,” he said.

“In December there will be more games, in January also. Managing a team in these circumstances is different, it’s not the same as Saturday to Saturday. That’s more difficult.

“We haven’t had to deal with that yet. When that comes in some teams will manage well, some not so well.

“That’s normal. It’s important in the competition.

“In the end of January we will have a better view about what will happen. I still think it is early.

“It is balances, there are teams in first positions who are losing to teams at the bottom and teams with big expectations in the middle.”

Wednesday face a testing week. After the visit of the Robins tomorrow, the Owls face back-to-back trips to Ipswich and Reading inside 72 hours.

Midfielder Kieran Lee is back in contention, after missing the 2-1 win at Aston Villa through injury.

Carvalhal is also hoping injured duo Sam Hutchinson and Fernando Forestieri could return quicker than expected. Hutchinson was initially ruled out until next month, while Carvalhal hopes Forestieri could return in January.

The latter has played just three times this season, after a knee operation, while midfielder Hutchinson has only one 45-minute outing to his name since August.

“He (Forestieri) was here this week for a check-up,” said Carvalhal. “He was first with the doctor that did the surgery in Italy, after he came here for a check-up. He is doing very well. Nothing complicated.

“I explained before it is an injury that can take eight or nine months.

“I said my expectation was January; January will be four months. I still have my expectations, but it’s still just my feeling, I don’t want to put any pressure on him.

“If it’s eight or nine months, that will be all of the season; if back after four months it’s January or February, but I believe he will help us at some part of the season.”