Sheffield Wednesday continue their quest for survival as they welcome Leeds United to Hillsborough for a Friday night Championship fixture. Both teams have been driven by a sturdy defence in recent weeks and should serve up a low scoring encounter here.
Sheffield Wednesday claimed a 1-0 victory over Plymouth Argyle in their previous Championship fixture. Djeidi Gassama’s second half effort proved to be the difference in a closely fought contest.
That was the fifth win in six matches for Sheffield Wednesday, who appear determined to beat the drop this season. They are still in the bottom three but another win on Friday will take them as high as 15th, at least temporarily.
Sheffield United’s recent good form has come on the heels of a tactical switch from manager Danny Rohl. They have become more defensively solid, keeping three clean sheets in their last four matches.
Leeds United are also coming off a 1-0 victory as they edged out Stoke City in a midweek Championship fixture. They were made to work hard by the Potters with Daniel James netting the only goal in the first half.
After stumbling slightly at Huddersfield Town in their previous fixture, manager Daniel Farke will be pleased to be back to winning ways. Leeds United are unbeaten in their last 11 Championship matches and remain five points behind leaders Leicester City.
Leeds United have a solid record on their travels and are unbeaten in their last five Championship away matches. That run has been driven by a solid defence that has kept four clean sheets.
How the bookies view it
Leeds United have been installed as overwhelming favourites and are priced at 8/15 by William Hill to claim the win. A victory for Sheffield Wednesday is valued at 5/1 by Paddy Power while a draw is set at odds of 10/3 by Unibet.
Head to head
Leeds United have a 33-23 advantage with 20 draws from 76 previous matches against Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls are unbeaten in the last three meetings while the reverse fixture ended in a 0-0 draw.
Players to watch
A sturdy defence has been at the heart of Sheffield Wednesday’s recent improvement as they have had shutouts in three of the last four matches. Michael Ihiekwe and Dominic Iorfa have impressed at the back and can lead the hosts to another clean sheet at 11/2 with William Hill.
Leeds United have also impressed defensively on their travels with clean sheets in four of their last five away matches. Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon should continue in central defence and can help the visitors to another clean sheet at 13/10 with BoyleSports.
Anything else catch the eye?
The last four meetings between Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United have produced under 2.5 goals and a repeat is priced at 27/25 by Unibet. With both teams looking solid at the back, BTTS NO could also be considered at evens with William Hill.
There have been halftime draws in the last three meetings between both teams and Friday’s clash could be set for a similar pattern at 7/5 with Unibet.
This England Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United will be played on Mar 8, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Sheffield Wednesday vs Leeds United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
