The 12 players set to miss Ipswich Town v Sheffield Wednesday ft Nathaniel Chalobah | OneFootball

The team news ahead of this weekend's matchup between Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday

The Championship season is rolling on towards the Christmas period, as Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday play their final games before Boxing Day against each other on Saturday.

Ipswich fell to a somewhat surprising defeat away at Leicester City last weekend, at the end of a three-game week which saw them beat Coventry City and Stoke City, keeping clean sheets in both.

Indeed, they've dropped points in all of their last three away games, so Kieran McKenna's side will be happy to return home to take on a struggling Sheffield Wednesday side, who have won just one of their 20 games this season and have conceded that this term will likely end in relegation.

Given the sizes of his squad, Kieran McKenna has been able to rotate where necessary and has been able to keep the majority of his cohort fit ahead of the Christmas period. Unfortunately, Henrik Pedersen can't say the same.

Here's everyone who is set to be absent, or is a doubt, for Saturday's game.

Harry Clarke

Starting with Ipswich, Harry Clarke is yet to make a senior appearance for the Tractor Boys this season, with his last league appearance coming in April while he was on loan at Sheffield United.

The knee injury he suffered seemed to have healed in September, and the 24-year-old has made sporadic appearances for the U21s this season, but he's yet to make his Championship bow this season.

With the number of full-backs ahead of him in the pecking order, it's looking likely that Clarke may be angling for a January departure.

Conor Townsend

Conor Townsend has also yet to take to the field this season, and the 32-year-old may not at all this year, after he suffered an ACL injury in Ipswich's pre-season outing with French side Auxerre.

The former West Brom man has struggled with getting into the side since he made the move in 2024 from the Hawthorns, making just 10 appearances since he arrived at Portman Road.

Wes Burns

Wes Burns is someone who has just returned from an ACL injury. However, a minor gashed leg picked up with the U21s on his return to fitness saw him back in the treatment room earlier this month.

The Welshman, who scored six and assisted four in Ipswich's promotion campaign a couple of years ago, hasn't made a senior appearance since January 25, and with him out of contract at the end of the season, will be eager to earn a new deal as and when he finally returns.

Sindre Walle Egeli

A doubt for the game on Saturday is Sindre Walle Egeli, with the 19-year-old missing the defeat at Leicester due to illness.

It's unconfirmed whether the Championship's record signing will be able to return, but he did state his excitement about playing his first games over the Christmas period, after playing in Norway and Denmark, who don't play over the festive season.

Nathaniel Chalobah

The big news coming out of the Sheffield Wednesday camp this week is that Nathaniel Chalobah has suffered an injury setback and will be out of the game against Ipswich.

"Nate is out. He went in from training today, so let's see what the scans say," Owls boss Henrik Pedersen said.

The 31-year-old had only just returned from a lengthy spell on the sidelines, and would have been in line for his first start since the opening day if not for this new injury.

Yan Valery

Chalobah's injury means that Wednesday are left with just eight senior players ahead of this busy schedule.

The African Cup of Nations has impacted that, alongside injuries. First, 26-year-old Yan Valery departed in the week to represent Tunisia in the tournament.

Sean Fusire

Sean Fusire will also be absent for the coming weeks due to AFCON, as the 20-year-old departs to represent Zimbabwe in Morocco.

However, unlike Tunisia, Zimbabwe aren't expected to reach the latter stages of the competition, so Wednesday could have the defender back a little sooner once the group stage games are over on December 29.

Nathan Redmond

Further injuries in the Owls camp sees Nathan Redmond, who only recently joined the Hillsborough-based outfit as one of two free agents Wednesday were allowed to sign last month, sidelined until the new year with a groin injury.

The 31-year-old made his debut for the club in the 3-2 defeat against Preston North End and was unused from the bench in the abandoned game against Blackburn Rovers, but won't be making his second appearance for the side until 2026 at least.

Di'Shon Bernard

Former Manchester United youngster Di'Shon Bernard's return to the side couldn't come sooner, as the 25-year-old would add another senior name to the Wednesday ranks.

However, the Jamaican international, who hasn't featured since suffering a serious knee injury in February, won't be seen for another few months at least, despite December being the target in pre-season.

Indeed, it won't be until next February that Bernard can get back to playing again, after undergoing another small surgery this season.

Olaf Kobacki

Polish wideman Olaf Kobacki has been absent since mid-September with a groin injury, but he's set to make his return sooner rather than later.

Earlier this month, Pedersen said, "He had a scan again, and then we are waiting for him to get the go-ahead with the physical coaches.

"Then he can start to work with more load, but I think it will still be Christmas time until we see him again."