Barnsley are seeking a hat-trick of wins over Sheffield Wednesday as both teams square off in the League One playoff final. Wednesday are also looking to finally get one over their rivals and given their exploits in the semi-finals, should edge an open encounter on Monday.
Barnsley secured a place in Monday's clash after earning a 2-1 aggregate victory over Bolton Wanderers in the semi-finals. Having played out a 1-1 draw in the first meeting, they returned home for a 1-0 win in the second leg.
The Tykes may be in the playoff final but their recent form has been erratic at best. That second leg win was their first in five matches having lost two and drawn two of the previous four fixtures in that run.
Among the problems for Barnsley in their recent poor run is a lack of discipline at the back. Michael Duff’s men have kept just one clean sheet in their last five matches, conceding 10 goals in that run.
Sheffield Wednesday will head into Monday’s clash on a high after serving up one of the greatest comebacks in their semi-final clash with Peterborough United. They looked down and out after suffering a 4-0 defeat in the first leg but put up an inspired performance in the second meeting to claim a 5-1 extra-time victory.
The Owls will believe that result to be a true reflection of their recent form and will consider the first leg defeat as a fluke. The victory means Darren Moore’s men will head into the final with five wins in their last six matches.
While Sheffield Wednesday will be pleased to be in the final, that semi-final first leg defeat highlights a defensive problem that could be taken advantage of. The Owls have kept just three clean sheets in their last 14 matches across all competitions.
How the bookies view it
Sheffield Wednesday have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 6/5 by Betfred to claim the win. A victory for Barnsley is valued at 5/2 with Unibet while a draw is set at odds of 12/5 by bet365.
Head to head
Sheffield Wednesday have a 15-10 advantage with 10 draws from 35 previous matches against Barnsley. However, the Tykes have won the last three meetings and did the double over their rivals his season, claiming a 4-2 victory back in March.
Players to watch
Devante Cole had a quiet outing in the semi-final but with 15 regular season goals, could be worth keeping an eye on for Barnsley. The forward also scored in both regular season fixtures against Sheffield Wednesday and is priced at 3/1 to find the net on Monday.
Michael Smith was on target in that semi-final comeback and could be the one to watch for Sheffield Wednesday. The attacker also has five goals in his last four matches and is priced at 2/1 by Paddy Power to find the net on Monday.
Anything else catch the eye?
It was a six-goal thriller in the last meeting between both teams and given their defensive struggles lately, another open encounter could be on the cards. Over 3.5 goals is valued at 3/1 with Paddy Power, over 2.5 goals is valued at 23/20 by bet365, who are also offering odds of 19/20 on both teams to score.
There were more goals after the break in Sheffield Wednesday’s semi-final second head and Monday’s clash can be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 6/5 with Paddy Power.
This English League One match between Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday will be played on May 29, 2023 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Barnsley vs Sheffield Wednesday prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
