Sheffield Wednesday are still seeking their first win of the season as they welcome Sunderland to Hillsborough for a Friday night Championship fixture. The Black Cats are enjoying a fine start to the season and should have the upper hand here.
It may still be early days in the campaign but Sheffield Wednesday are already looking like prime relegation candidates. They are yet to secure a win and sitting for point from safety, are slowly being cut adrift at the bottom of the table.
The Owls have already been beaten six times in eight matches this season, including a 3-0 defeat to Swansea City last time out in the Championship. They were second best at the Swansea City Stadium and could only muster a single attempt on target throughout the encounter.
Things have also been abysmal at Hillsborough for Swansea City, who have already been beaten three times in front of their fans this season. However, manager Xisco Munoz will look to build on a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough in their previous home fixture.
Sunderland are also coming off a defeat as they were beaten 1-0 by Cardiff City in their previous Championship fixture. They were the dominant side in the encounter but failed to take their chances before conceding the winner three minutes from time.
Given Sunderland’s performance and the nature of the defeat, manager Tim Mowbray will consider that result a minor blip. They have been in good form lately and had claimed four wins and a draw from five matches prior to the visit of Cardiff City.
One of the impressive aspects about Sunderland’s campaign is their record on their travels having claimed 3-1 victories at QPR and Blackburn Rovers in their last two away matches. However, as evidenced by both results, they often struggle to maintain their discipline at the back having kept just one clean sheet on the road so far.
How the bookies view it
Sunderland have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 11/8 by Betfred to claim the win. A victory for Sheffield Wednesday is valued at 21/10 by William Hill while a draw is set at odds of 12/5 by BoyleSports.
Head to head
Sheffield Wednesday have a 38-32 advantage with 22 draws from 92 previous matches against Sunderland. The last meeting between both teams was a League Cup clash in 2022 which ended 2-0 in favour of the Owls.
Players to watch
Sheffield Wednesday will be keen to take advantage of Sunderland’s defensive vulnerability and will look to Lee Gregory to provide the spark. The striker was on target in a 2022 League One meeting between both teams and is priced at 5/2 by bet365 to find the net on Friday.
Jack Clarke has been one of the standout players for Sunderland this season with five goals in eight Championship matches. With three of those goals coming in the last two away matches, the attacker could be worth keeping an eye on at 14/5 with Unibet.
Anything else catch the eye?
Sunderland have seen over 3.5 goals in their last two away matches and a repeat is priced at 5/2 by Unibet. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 10/11 by Paddy Power while Betfred is offering odds of 8/11 on both teams to score.
The Black Cats have scored in both halves in their last two away matches and Friday’s clash could be set to follow a similar pattern at 5/2 with bet365.
This England Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland will be played on Sep 29, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Sheffield Wednesday vs Sunderland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
