- Sheffield Wednesday are winless at home in the Championship this season, having drawn one and lost four of their five fixtures at Hillsborough.
- Middlesbrough have won two, drawn two and lost just one of their last five Championship fixtures.
- Sheffield Wednesday have conceded 14 goals in five home Championship games this term.
Owls must face Boro’s buzzsaw
Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough could hardly be at more opposite ends of the Championship table right now with the Owls sitting bottom with 6 points from 10 games while Boro occupy second spot with 21 points from the same number of games.
So the visitors are clearly in the better form and, with superior players, will probably be good enough to get all three points at Hillsborough on Wednesday night. Our Sheffield Wednesday vs Middlesbrough prediction finds Rob Edwards’ side available at 1.7 for the match, but Wednesday at 4.75 is also a touch generous given they are reeling after back-to-back defeats.
The home side have drawn once and lost once in their two prior home games this campaign while Edwards’ team have failed to win in their previous two away (D1, L1) so the oddsmakers may not be so far wrong in thinking this could be a close contest. The Sheffield Wednesday vs Middlesbrough preview is intriguing as Boro bounced back from their recent setback at Portsmouth with a spirited 2-1 home win over Ipswich Town at the weekend, although it was the sort of game that could have gone either way.
Boro have the balance to edge it
Wednesday went down 5-0 at home to Coventry City before the international break and lost 2-1 at Charlton Athletic last Saturday so neither side come into this game in particularly great form. The latest Sheffield Wednesday vs Middlesbrough prediction shows Boro’s average of 1.60 goals scored and 1.00 goals conceded on their travels so far is good, but their away form has just dipped after that winless sequence.
These two sides met in the Championship six months ago when Wednesday edged Boro 2-1 at Hillsborough. Edwards’ three-at-the-back system with wing-backs and high-pressing game ensures that they are one of the most attacking and entertaining teams in the division.
Henrik Pedersen’s Owls operate in a very different way to Boro with a compact, disciplined defensive block, pragmatic pressing and quick risk management at the other end. Wednesday’s defensive frailty at the back could be exposed by Boro’s wide overloads and transitions, which should decide this fixture.
Sene is Boro’s most reliable goal scorer
Kaly Sene tops the scoring for Boro with two goals in seven Championship appearances this year and has been in superb form, scoring two of Boro's last four goals. Sene looks the most likely Boro player to score at any point on Wednesday, particularly if they play with the kind of intensity that saw off the Tractor Boys on Saturday.
George Brown has scored two of Wednesday’s six goals in the last five games and offers them an outlet in the forward areas, although he is probably still one place behind Barry Bannan in terms of importance. Bannan is the main playmaker and supplier of chances for the hosts, so it makes sense to bet on him to register at some stage if they are to take anything from this clash.
For those seeking Sheffield Wednesday vs Middlesbrough betting tips, backing Both Teams To Score at +1.84 looks very tempting in this spot as Boro like to play with an open game and will push forward for a win. But Over 2.5 goals at 1.91 is just as good and makes more sense given Edwards’ attacking philosophy and Pedersen’s focus on keeping things as simple as possible. Our final Sheffield Wednesday vs Middlesbrough prediction is that the visitors’ attacking balance might just be the edge in a tight encounter.
