Sheffield Wednesday vs Sunderland betting tips, BuildABet, best bets and preview
Sheffield Wednesday are winless and bottom of the Sky Bet Championship as they welcome Sunderland on Friday night. Michael Beardmore provides his best bets.
Football betting tips: Championship
2pts Jack Clarke 1+ shots on target at 5/6 (Betway)
1.5pt Sunderland to win at 7/5 (Spread Ex)
For Sheffield Wednesday supporters, the miraculous comeback from 4-0 down after the first leg of their Sky Bet League play-off semi-final with Peterborough in May must seem a lifetime ago given how things have panned out since.
Promotion-winning manager Darren Moore left just weeks after the Owls' Wembley success following an increasingly-publicised and ongoing falling-out with chairman Dejphon Chansiri, an underwhelming summer of recruitment and a miserable haul of two paltry points from the opening eight Championship games.
How they'll wish they had taken a leaf out of Sunderland's book. The Black Cats came up via exactly the same route a year earlier but kept momentum rolling under Tony Mowbray to reach last season's Championship play-off semi-finals as a surprise package and they're going well again early doors, fifth so far this term.
Mogga's men have won four of their past six after narrowly losing their opening two games and have found goals easy to come by despite the loss of star striker Ross Stewart, first to injury, then a move for an undisclosed fee to Southampton, hitting 11 in three games before a shock 1-0 defeat by Cardiff last time out.
What are the best bets?
We don't need to overcomplicate matters a great deal here.
Sheffield Wednesday have been abysmal this season, not just from a results perspective - their underlying numbers of 0.73 expected goals for (xGF) and 1.42 expected goals against (xGA) per game proving they deserve to be exactly where they are at this stage.
Sunderland, meanwhile, also merit their contrastingly lofty position, as evidenced by figures of 1.65 xGF and 1.24 xGA per game, a differential of +0.41 expected goal difference (xGD) that is bettered by only four sides in the division.
They have won their past two away games handsomely, both by 3-1 scorelines at QPR and Blackburn - and, at odds as friendly as 7/5, SUNDERLAND TO WIN simply has to be backed here.
But, for me, the best price in this match is the 5/6 on Black Cats midfielder JACK CLARKE TO HAVE 1+ SHOTS ON TARGET with Betway.
Clarke is continuing his form from last season, if not bettering it. He's had 21 shots across Sunderland's opening eight games, including nine on target, scoring five goals. He has really stepped up in the absence of injured-then-sold main striker Ross Stewart.
The 22-year-old is as short as 2/1 to score anytime and 5/4 to score or assist, yet we're getting not far off the latter price just for him to trouble the goalkeeper. The shot-on-target bet is 1/2 elsewhere and looks huge value with Betway.
BuildABet @ 26/1
- Sunderland to win
- Jack Clarke to score anytime
- A goal scored in both halves
- A player to be sent off
CLICK HERE to back with Sky Bet
Sunderland's games promise goals more often than not - seven of their nine matches in league and cup this season have featured at least one goal in both halves, and that pattern should continue against a porous Sheffield Wednesday side.
Sam Barrott is the whistle-happy man in the middle for this match and he's issued two red cards already this season in six games, plus 26 yellows. The addition of a sending-off can boost our BuildABet - Sunderland were fifth in the Championship ill-discipline charts last term while the Owls had three reds in League One.
Score prediction: Sheff Wed 1-2 Sunderland (Sky Bet odds: 15/2)
Team news
After just one goal in four games, Wednesday boss Xisco Munoz could freshen up the Owls' attack following last Saturday's poor 3-0 defeat at Swansea, with Josh Windass, Ashley Fletcher and Michael Smith competing for their head coach's attentions.
Defender Dominic Iorfa was an unused substitute for the trip to Wales after recovering from injury and could also return to the starting line-up.
Sunderland have plenty of options to choose from for the trip to Hillsborough, although centre-half Aji Alese (thigh) is still a fortnight away from resuming training while midfielder Jewison Bennette could again miss out with illness and Dennis Cirkin (hamstring) is among those out longer-term.
Mowbray's main decisions involve whether to risk midfielders Pierre Ekwah (dead leg) and Bradley Dack (hamstring). Both players have found the net for the Black Cats this season but have missed the past couple of games. Livewire winger Patrick Roberts is also pushing for a recall after three substitute appearances.
Predicted line-ups
Sheffield Wednesday: Vasquez; Iorfa, Diaby, Famewo; Valentin, Bannan, Bakinson, Delgado; Buckley, Fletcher, Windass
Sunderland: Patterson; Hume, O'Nien, Ballard, Huggins; Neil; Roberts, Ekwah, Bellingham, Clarke; Semedo
Match facts
- Sheffield Wednesday won their last home league game against Sunderland in November 2021, last registering consecutive home wins against the Black Cats in February 1973.
- Sunderland’s last league game against Sheffield Wednesday was a 5-0 victory in December 2021 in League One, with the Black Cats winning five of their last eight against the Owls (D1 L2).
- Sheffield Wednesday are now the only Championship side without a win this season (D2 L6) – the Owls have failed to score in four of those eight games, no side in the division in 2023-24 has done so more times.
- Sunderland have won five of their last seven away league games (D1 L1) – since the start of last season no Championship side has won more league games on the road than the Black Cats (13).
- Sheffield Wednesday have had the oldest average age to their starting XI’s in the Championship this season (28y 242d), while Sunderland have had the youngest (23y).
Odds correct 1615 BST (27/09/23)
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