Danny Röhl wary of 'high potential' threat as Sheffield Wednesday eye-up sleepwalking Sunderland

The Black Cats are on their third manager of the season with interim figure Mike Dodds having overseen an end-of-season run that has seen them win just two of their last 14 matches heading into the last day clash at the Stadium of Light.

It was made clear after the sacking of Michael Beale in February that they would delay the appointment of their new manager until the summer. Owls boss Danny Röhl is one of the names reportedly under consideration.

Sunderland have scored only once in their last five matches but have conceded only twice. But Röhl played down their malaise and made clear he is wary of their key men. Patrick Roberts (pictured) is a figure with history of breaking Wednesday hearts on the last day of the season having scored in the draw that secured Derby Championship safety over the Owls in 2021 and then again for Sunderland in the League One play-off semi-final the following season.

A desire to sign off the season with a win alters the picture as for as Wednesday boss Röhl is concerned.

“This is football and you never know what will happen,” the German coach said. “They will want to say goodbye to their fans, which means they will try to take some points. Of course they have had ups and downs but when you look to the results in the last five games they have not conceded too much, they didn't score too much, but you can see they are still trying. It's a young group of players with high potential, it's a high potential squad. If they come into their flow and we are not ready for this then they can play with freedom and this is dangerous.

“For us it is important to put our performance into the game, bring them to our level and to show them how strong we are in our mindset. If we do this, we will have a great opportunity. This is the Championship. You cannot go into such a game and think 'They are not playing for something'. Of course they are playing for their last win on their last matchday.”