The 2025/26 Championship season gets underway for Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday, with the two sides meeting at the King Power Stadium in what already looks like a clash between promotion hopefuls and relegation candidates.
Leicester return to the second tier after Premier League relegation, but expectations remain high. Despite finishing in the bottom three, their squad has retained significant strength. Nine regulars from the 2023/24 Championship title-winning side are still in place, and Marti Cifuentes steps in for his first competitive game in charge. Players such as Patson Daka, Stephy Mavididi, Kasey McAteer and Issahaku Fatawu were already at the club and now look set for increased roles under the new manager. Key playmaker Bilal El Khannouss remains part of the squad, and overall, Leicester still look well equipped for a top-six push.
Sheffield Wednesday, by contrast, are in total disarray. They ended last season in 12th, but the club has since been dragged into crisis. Players and staff went unpaid in March, May and July. Danny Rohl and his entire coaching staff have departed, replaced by Henrik Pedersen. The squad has lost 11 senior players, including Josh Windass, Michael Smith, Anthony Musaba and Djeidi Gassama, who contributed 55 goals and assists between them. Transfer activity is blocked due to a three-window embargo.
Wednesday’s xPTS last season ranked 10th overall (63.02), with strong away efficiency, but that data now feels irrelevant. They are down to 16 senior players, and many of them may not be available.
Leicester are settled, well-resourced, and should dominate this fixture. For Wednesday, it’s not about performance anymore — it’s about survival, and it’s only August.
How the bookies view it: Owls massive outsiders
Leicester City are overwhelming favourites for Sunday’s Championship opener, priced at 1/6 to win, which implies an 85.7% chance of victory. Sheffield Wednesday are out at 20/1, with the draw available at 38/5, underlining the gulf between the two sides. The goal markets reflect similar expectations over 2.5 goals is 1/2 (66.7% implied probability), while both teams to score is priced at 6/4, suggesting Leicester are expected to do the bulk of the scoring.
Head to Head: Foxes stronger than Owls
Leicester City are unbeaten in their last three meetings with Sheffield Wednesday, winning one and drawing two. The most recent encounter came in February 2024 at the King Power Stadium, where Leicester secured a comfortable 2–0 win.
Earlier in the 2023/24 Championship season, the sides played out a 1–1 draw at Hillsborough, while their only other recent clash was a goalless pre-season friendly in August 2020. Across those three games, Leicester have scored three goals and conceded just one.
Players to watch: El Khannouss a Premier League threat
Bilal El Khannouss looks a strong option in the player shots market, with 5/1 available for him to register 2+ shots on target. The Moroccan midfielder ended the Premier League season in excellent form, registering at least one shot in each of his last 11 appearances and managing 1+ in 18 of the final 20. He finished the campaign with 29 shots and 7 on target across 27 starts, and while those overall numbers are modest, the uptick in output towards the end of the season shows clear momentum.
Now operating in the Championship, and likely to play a more advanced role under Martí Cifuentes, he should have even more opportunity to get into dangerous areas. Leicester are expected to dominate the game against a disjointed Sheffield Wednesday side who have lost several key players, are under a transfer embargo, and arrive with a threadbare squad.
With Leicester likely to control the ball and territory, El Khannouss should be heavily involved around the box. At 5/1, the price for 2+ shots on target looks generous.
Predicted line-ups
Leicester City (4-2-3-1): Stolarczyk, Choudhury, Okoli, Vestergaard, Thomas, Skipp, Soumare, Fatawu, El Khannouss, Mavididi, Ayew
Sheffield Wednesday (4-2-3-1): Charles, Valery, Iorfa, Otegbayo, Lowe, Palmer, Bannan, Ingelsson, J Lowe, McNeill, Ugbo
Anything else catch the eye?
Leicester to win to nil looks a strong betting angle given both teams’ statistical profiles and squad situations.
The Foxes defensive base at the King Power was functional last time in the Chaampionship, and they have since added Caleb Okoli and retained Wout Faes, Jannik Vestergaard although Mads Hermansen looks likely to depart. That unit should have more than enough to shut down what’s left of Wednesday’s attack.
On the other side, Sheffield Wednesday are arriving with virtually no offensive threat. Across their final 10 matches last season, they averaged just 0.94 xG per game, and that was with Windass, Smith and Musaba all of whom have now left. The remaining squad accounts for only 22 total goal contributions from last season, and it's unclear how many of those players are match-fit or even under contract.
Wednesday created the fewest big chances away from home among the top 15 Championship sides last season and scored just 22 goals on the road. They are now operating under a transfer embargo and cannot add reinforcements.
Even if Wednesday approach the game defensively, their ability to retain possession or transition effectively looks minimal.
Given Leicester’s control of territory, quality in possession, and clean sheet potential, backing them to win without conceding offers more value than the straight win or a heavy handicap. It’s a smart way to side with the clear favourites without chasing inflated lines.
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