The sun may have been shining across England during the week but it's clear life is anything but bright for the teams who will meet at Vicarage Road on Saturday (12:30 BST).
Hosts Watford have lost their past four successive games to see their play-off hopes tumble out of reality.
Had they won those four games, they would have been in a play-off position and entering the weekend as hot favourites.
Meanwhile, things at visitors Sheffield Wednesday could be worse. Tension between the fans and the ownership have grown over the course of this season and some wonder if this could be their last chance to get a glimpse of boss Danny Rohl in the managerial seat.