Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham United, who are battling for relegation, will play each other on Saturday.
Sheffield Wednesday’s South Yorkshire rivalry against Rotherham United has long been a source of amusement for Owls supporters, who refer to it as the Millers’ ‘Cup Final’.
Whether they genuinely think it or not, some Wednesdayites frequently write off the games as being less significant to them than their rivals across the city, but this one is an exception.
When asked who he felt this one meant more to, Millers’ manager Leam Richardson responded that it didn’t escape his notice given both clubs were fighting to retain the Championship.
“It matters to both clubs,” he declared. “You want the outcome to work out well for you. For the fans, derbies are. It’s the ability to brag. This week’s message to the players has been to make sure we play a really great game against a talented team. We want to make sure we win because they are our local rivals.
“We pay more attention to ourselves. It’s not like they actually worry us. We want to make sure that we win 99.9% of the duels when that ball goes on Saturday. We are aware of their advantages, but we also understand what it takes to be competitive. We must exercise the utmost restraint and aggression.”
Though the results haven’t always gone their way, Rotherham is at the bottom of the Championship and is all but doomed despite some recent strong performances. Wednesday, on the other hand, is three points inside the relegation zone and has moved themselves a little bit closer to survival thanks to three straight wins.
