Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham City square off in a Friday night Championship fixture with both teams looking to snap out of a rough patch. Neither side has been at their best lately and they look set to cancel each other out for a draw.
Sheffield Wednesday are coming off a 4-1 defeat to Coventry in an FA Cup fourth round replay on Tuesday. They went into the break level after Bailey-Tye Cadamarteri had cancelled out an early opener from the hosts but ultimately capitulated in the second half.
That result is consistent with Sheffield Wednesday’s recent form as they are winless in their last six matches across all competitions. Danny Rohl’s men were beaten 4-0 by Huddersfield Town in their previous Championship fixture and they remain mired in the relegation zone, seven points from safety.
A bit of good news for Sheffield Wednesday is that they have been on the road lately and return to Hillsborough which has tasted just one defeat in their last five matches. The last two fixtures in that run have ended in draws, including a 0-0 scoreline with Watford in their previous Championship home outing.
Birmingham City are also coming off a defeat as they were beaten 1-0 by West Brom in their previous Championship fixture. They looked to be headed for a drab goalless draw before a loss of concentration at the back allowed the Baggies nick the winner.
Tony Mowbray’s men are also going through a rough patch having picked up just two wins from their last 11 matches across all competitions. The Blues are also in relegation danger, sitting just four points above the bottom three.
Birmingham City have also found things difficult on their travels, although they are unbeaten in three of their last five Championship away fixtures. Among their results in that run is a 3-3 draw at Plymouth Argyle.
How the bookies view it
Sheffield Wednesday have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 13/10 with bet365. A victory for Birmingham City is valued at 11/5 by 888Sport while a draw is set at odds of 49/20 by Unibet.
Head to head
Birmingham City have a 30-31 edge with 19 draws from 80 previous matches against Sheffield Wednesday. The Blues also claimed a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in November.
Players to watch
Bailey-Tye Cadamarteri was on target on Tuesday and could be worth keeping an eye on for Sheffield Wednesday. He is likely to feature in attack and is priced at 13/5 by Unibet to get in the score sheet once again.
Jay Stansfield is the leading scorer for Birmingham with eight goals and will be the one to watch on Friday. The attacker has scored in two of the last four matches and is priced at 3/1 by bet365 to find the net.
Anything else catch the eye?
With neither team showing any kind of defensive solidity lately, there are likely to be goals on Friday. Both teams could be backed to score at 4/5 with William Hill, over 2.5 goals is valued at evens with Paddy Power while Unibet is offering 27/10 for over 3.5 goals.
There have been a few late showings in Birmingham City’s recent fixtures, so the second half could be tipped to produce the most goals at 21/20 with bet365.
This England Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham City will be played on Feb 9, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Sheffield Wednesday vs Birmingham City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.