Sheffield Wednesday suffer frustrating blow ahead of QPR clash | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday will be without a key man for their clash with QPR this weekend

Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen has confirmed that Liam Cooper has suffered a groin problem ahead of their clash with QPR.

The Owls are enduring an injury crisis, leaving the Dane with a very thin squad to start 2026, and matters have only been made worse following the 3-0 loss to Preston North End.

The 34-year-old joined the Yorkshire outfit in November, signing a contract to keep him at Hillsborough until the end of the season, and has already earned eight appearances in the Championship since arriving as a free agent.

However, the defender lasted just 39 minutes in the latest defeat to Paul Heckingbottom’s side, with goals coming from Ali McCann, Milutin Osmajic and Lewis Dobbin.

The defeat stretched Sheffield Wednesday’s winless run to 18 games, with the team rooted to the bottom of the second division table.

Sheffield Wednesday suffer Liam Cooper blow

Pedersen has confirmed that a groin issue meant Cooper had to come off in the first half of the side’s loss to Preston on Thursday afternoon.

The 48-year-old could not reveal the extent of his injury, but he indicated it could be a lengthy absence and suggested that the centre-back has been overplayed since joining the club in November.

“His groin is not good,” said Pedersen, via The Star.

“He's a good example, he has played really, really well for us.

“He means a lot for us, he's a good leader, he's a good defender, but his left foot has also been really good in the build-up for us.

“But he has also played more than he should play in relation to his fitness when he came to the club.

“Let's see how long he's out, but it's not good.

“It's too early to say [how long he’ll be out for], he'll get a scan tomorrow and then we'll know more.”

Sheffield Wednesday are bottom of the Championship table after 24 games played, with the team sitting on minus seven points.

The gap to safety is already 32 points, meaning the Owls are all but guaranteed to suffer relegation to League One in 2026.

Pedersen’s side have won just one league game this campaign, drawing eight and losing 15, with supporters awaiting confirmation of a change in ownership.

Next up for Sheffield Wednesday is their clash against QPR on 4 January in a 12pm kick-off at Loftus Road.

Liam Cooper injury is a big setback for Sheffield Wednesday

Cooper jumping straight into the starting lineup at Sheffield Wednesday was a necessity due to how thin the current squad is.

But Pedersen’s comments reveal how fraught the situation is at Hillsborough, as choosing to play him almost every minute since November was always risking this kind of fitness issue.

Ideally, Cooper wouldn’t be relied upon so much to play in the team, but the Owls have been left with so few alternatives.

Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping that he isn’t out for too long, particularly as it’s unclear when the club will be able to bring in any further fresh faces due to their current transfer restrictions.