Peterborough United vs Sheffield Wednesday
English League One, KO: 20:00 May 12, 2023, Weston Homes Stadium
A place in the final is the prize as Peterborough United host Sheffield Wednesday in the League One promotion playoff semi-final first leg.
Having ended the regular season on a high, Sheffield United have the quality to avoid defeat on Friday in order to close out the tie in the second leg in front of their fans.
Peterborough United are coming off a 2-0 victory at Barnsley in their final League One fixture of the regular season. It was a professional performance from the visitors with goals in each half from Jonson Clarke-Harris and Jack Taylor earning them the win.
It was a vital win for Peterborough United as tit helped them finish one point above Derby County and also clinch the final playoff spot. Prior to that win, Darren Ferguson’s men had claimed only one win in four matches, suffering two defeats in that run.
One of the problems that have plagued Peterborough United in recent times is a poor record at Weston Homes Stadium with just four wins in their last 10 home matches. They are winless in their last two matches in front of their fans and were held to a 0-0 draw in their previous home fixture.
Sheffield Wednesday also ended their regular season campaign with a win as they picked up a 1-0 victory over Derby County. It was a closely fought encounter with Michael Smith’s penalty two minutes before the break proving to be the difference.
Unlike Peterborough United, Sheffield Wednesday had already secured their playoff spot a while ago and finished third on the table, two points off the automatic positions. They ended the season on a high note and head into Friday’s clash with four straight wins.
Sheffield Wednesday have also impressed on their recent travels with just one defeat in their last five away matches. Darren Moore’s men have won their last two fixtures on the road, claiming a 2-1 victory at Bristol Rovers before running out 3-0 winners over Shrewsbury Town.
How the bookies view it
The bookies appear to be split on this one with a win for Peterborough United priced at 33/20 by Unibet while Coral is also offering 33/20 for a Sheffield Wednesday victory. A draw is set at odds of 13/5 by BoyleSports.
Head to head
Sheffield Wednesday have a 6-4 advantage with two draws from 12 previous matches with Peterborough United. Both teams were victorious at home in their regular season meetings with Peterborough claiming a 2-0 victory at Weston Homes Stadium while Sheffield picked up a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture.
Players to watch
Jonson Clarke-Harris was the leading scorer for Peterborough United during the regular season with 26 goals and will be hoping to carry that form into the playoffs. The forward was also on target in the regular season meetings and is priced at 15/8 by William Hill to find the net once again.
Sheffield Wednesday also have some attacking quality of their own, particularly Michael Smith who ended the regular season with 17 goals. The attacker netted a hat-trick in Sheffield’s last away fixture and is priced at 21/10 by William Hill to score anytime on Friday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Peterborough United and Sheffield Wednesday have plenty of quality in attack and both teams could be backed to score on Friday at 7/10 with William Hill. Sheffield have seen over 2.5 goals in four of their last five away matches and a repeat is priced at 10/11 by William Hill while over 3.5 goals is valued at 23/10 by BetVictor.
All the goals in the last four meetings have come after the break, so the second half could be tipped as the highest scoring half at 11/10 with Paddy Power. All four matches produced halftime draws and bet365 is offering odds of 6/5 for a similar outcome.
This English League One match between Peterborough United and Sheffield Wednesday will be played on May 12, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Peterborough United vs Sheffield Wednesday prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
