Two of the biggest stories from this summer's League One preview coverage meet at Hillsborough on Thursday evening, with Sheffield Wednesday hosting Bradford City at 8pm in front of more than 30,000 supporters.
Wednesday's rebuilt squad following the takeover faces a settled Bradford side that reached the play-offs last season, with both teams unbeaten and confident after winning their opening league fixtures.
This is Bradford's first away game of the campaign after starting at Valley Parade, while Wednesday return to Hillsborough having already won twice. Their opening league victory followed an earlier Carabao Cup success against Bolton Wanderers.
Sheffield Wednesday's squad was almost entirely rebuilt after the Arise Capital Partners takeover in May, with only a handful of players surviving from a season that ended with administration and an 18-point deduction. Louie Barry, Billy Mitchell and Callum Slattery were among the new arrivals, while Barry Bannan returned to add experience.
Some pundits suggested promotion might be a two-year project because of the time needed for the new group to settle, but the early signs have been more encouraging. Wednesday opened with a 2-1 victory at Leyton Orient and generated 2.70 xG, the second-highest attacking return in League One on the opening weekend. It was a promising first league performance from a rebuilt side.
Bradford reached last season's play-offs under Graham Alexander and finished fifth in the division's xPTS table with 72.82. Their summer recruitment focused on replacing important departures rather than rebuilding the squad, with Jon McCracken arriving in goal and Adam Phillips joining from Barnsley.
Their opening league win followed an identical 2-0 Carabao Cup victory over Rochdale. Bradford beat Peterborough United 2-0 in front of 19,871 supporters at Valley Parade, with Macaulay Gillesphey heading home Callum Connolly's corner before substitute Nick Powell scored within two minutes of coming on.
Alexander credited Bradford's disciplined defending rather than describing it as an easy clean sheet, pointing to the attacking talent within Peterborough's squad. The underlying numbers supported his assessment, with Bradford winning the xG battle 1.48 to 1.09 and conceding no big chances. They were one of only four League One sides to achieve that on the opening weekend.
Both teams collected two yellow cards in their first league matches, while Peterborough also had a player sent off against Bradford.
How the bookies view it
Sheffield Wednesday are 6/4 favourites, implying a 40% chance of winning, while the draw is 13/5 at 27.8% and Bradford City are 7/4 at 36.4%.
Over 2.5 goals is priced at 19/20, implying 51.3%, with both teams to score available at 3/4 and carrying an implied probability of 57.1%.
Head to head: The Bantams hold the edge over the Owls
These clubs have a long but dated league history, with their previous meeting coming in League One in February 2005. Bradford won 2-1 at Hillsborough on that occasion, more than 21 years before this fixture.
Across eight league meetings since 1999, covering the Premier League, the old First Division and League One, Sheffield Wednesday lead with three wins to Bradford's two, alongside three draws.
The clubs have since met twice in the EFL Trophy, with Bradford winning both ties, including one on penalties in 2011, although those results carry limited relevance here.
Player to watch: Jamal Lowe main threat for the Owls
Jamal Lowe was the standout attacking player from either squad on the opening weekend, producing 1.22 xG across 90 minutes against Leyton Orient. That was comfortably the highest figure recorded by any Sheffield Wednesday or Bradford player and underlined why he survived last season's upheaval.
Lowe won and converted the decisive penalty, while he also had a headed goal ruled out for offside during the second half. His overall threat was therefore even greater than his strong xG return suggests.
Despite Wednesday's significant summer spending, one of the few remaining players from last season currently looks their main attacking threat.
Predicted line-ups
Bradford City (3-4-2-1): McCracken; Gillesphey, Baldwin, Pennington; Touray, Sarcevic, Connolly, Neufville; Swan, Jackson; Beesley.
Sheffield Wednesday (3-4-2-1): Lumley; Swinkels, Otegbayo, Palmer; Max Lowe, Bannan, Onyango, Liongola; Gray, Slattery; Jamal Lowe.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both sides arrive with reason for optimism after opening weekends that went better than some summer previews expected, particularly in Sheffield Wednesday's case given the scale of their squad turnover. Wednesday's attacking performance at Leyton Orient was one of the strongest in the division, although one match remains a limited sample for a new squad still developing its partnerships.
Bradford's underlying numbers carry more long-term substance. Their 72.82 xPTS total suggested they were unfortunate to miss automatic promotion last season, while the win over Peterborough showed the same defensive organisation that made them difficult to beat throughout that campaign. A settled squad with a clear structure should be better prepared for this stage of the season than opponents still working through a major rebuild.
The main bet is Bradford City draw no bet at 1/1, which carries an implied probability of 50%. Sheffield Wednesday deserve to be favourites because of home advantage and the investment made since the takeover, but Bradford's organisation and continuity give them a strong chance of avoiding defeat.
Wednesday's opening performance was encouraging, but it does not remove the uncertainty surrounding a squad assembled over one summer. Bradford offer a more established body of evidence, making them the preferred side in a fixture the market expects to be closely contested. This remains a moderate-conviction selection because there is still limited evidence available on Wednesday's rebuilt team.
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