Sheffield Wednesday v Huddersfield Town: Owls will adopt balanced approach in decider

The Owls head into this evening’s sell-out clash as favourites following Sunday’s 0-0 draw in Huddersfield, which saw a well-regimented defensive game plan executed well.

But the Portuguese is adamant that his side’s advantage is only a small one.

Carvalhal said: “If you ask me or another coach in the world, if you go to the second game of the semi-final with zeros and you play at home, everyone would say that they would prefer to play at home when the game is goalless because our fans make a good impact in the game.

LISTEN - PODCAST - Football Talk previews Owls v Town showdown

“If you look at the numbers, we win a lot of games at home and have had some massive wins in two seasons.

“That is a fact, but we must now do our work on the pitch.

“The fans will absolutely do the job and we must do what we have to on the pitch, to try and win the game.

“It is one of the most important games and last season was the same.

“But it is important to have balance. Everyone is moderately happy because we achieved a good result. But nobody is euphoric and everyone will be ready for Wednesday.

“I can say it is a small advantage, but we will play against a team who we respect a lot.

“I have my feet on the floor. We still have a job to do. There are 90 minutes still to play where we must play very serious and consistent and try to achieve a good victory.”

WATCH - HIGHLIGHTS - How Huddersfield and Owls battled to first leg stalemate

In front of a raucous sell-out crowd, Wednesday are seeking to reprise the atmosphere of last season’s home semi-final against Brighton, when the visitors were met with a wall of noise from the opening whistle and home players rose splendidly to the occasion, just as they did in a famous Capital One Cup upset against Arsenal in October 2015.

Pledging that his players will push themselves to the limit in their attempts to get over the line this evening and book a second successive play-off final spot at Wembley, Carvalhal is urging Wednesdayites to perform their part of the bargain too.

He added: “They (fans) know exactly what they must do and so do we. Let’s do our job together. Let us achieve something very, very special and we will fight to the limit. I believe the fans will also give the maximum on Wednesday.”

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Yorkshire Post - Football

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