A closely fought encounter is expected as Sunderland host Sheffield Wednesday in the first leg of their League One promotion playoff semi-final. With just one point between them in the regular season, there appears to be little to separate both teams at the moment.
Sunderland ended the season with a 1-0 victory over Morecambe last Saturday. They struck early in the first half through Nathan Broadhead and were able to hold on for the win with a solid defensive display that ensured the hosts had no attempts on target.
That result was enough to earn a fifth-place finish for Sunderland and also extend their unbeaten run to 13 matches. They have claimed seven wins in that run and manager Alex Neil will be keen for his team to carry that form into the playoffs.
Home form has been pivotal to Sunderland’s fine run in recent weeks, they are unbeaten in their last seven matches in front of their fans. They have claimed five wins in that run but were held to a 1-1 draw by Rotherham United in their previous fixture at the Stadium of Light.
Sheffield Wednesday also appear to be hitting their best form at the right time as they head into the playofsf with four wins from their last five matches. That run was enough to earn them a sixth-place finish, one point behind Sunderland.
The Owls ended their regular season campaign with a 4-1 victory at Portsmouth last Saturday. They recovered from an early setback with Lee Gregory, Saido Berahino and Jordan Storey all on target before the break while George Byers added the fourth four minutes from time.
Sheffield Wednesday have been just as solid on their recent travels with just one defeat in their last five away matches. They showed great character in their previous fixture on the road, coming from behind to earn a 3-2 victory at Fleetwood Town.
How the bookies view it
The bookies appear to be expecting a close contest with a win for Sunderland priced at 8/5 with bet365 while a victory for Sheffield Wednesday is valued at 37/20 by Unibet. A draw is set at odds of 23/10 by SBK.
Head to head
Sheffield Wednesday have a 37-31 advantage with 21 draws from 89 previous matches with Sunderland. Both teams won their home fixture during the regular season with the Sunderland claiming a 5-0 victory at the Stadium of Light.
Players to watch
Ross Stewart finished the regular season as the top scorer for Sunderland with 24 League One goals. The forward will be the to watch for the Black Cats and is priced at 7/5 by bet365 to get on the score sheet on Friday.
Sheffield Wednesday’s late season form coincided with a goalscoring blitz for Lee Gregory, who has found the net eight times in his last eight matches. Following a hat-trick in his last away fixture, the striker could be worth considering to score anytime at 7/4 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday boast plenty of quality in attack and both teams could be backed to score at 4/5 with Unibet. Sheffield Wednesday have seen over 3.5 goals in their last two matches and a similar outcome is priced at 37/13 by SBK, who are also offering odds of 17/16 for over 2.5 goals.
Friday’s clash is expected to be a closely fought encounter and with the clash likely to come to life after the break, the second half could be tipped as the highest scoring half at 11/10 with Paddy Power.
This English League One match between Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday will be played on May 6, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Sunderland vs Sheffield Wednesday prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
