On Wednesday night we see two of the top teams in the Championship go head to head at Hillsborough when Sunderland travel to face Sheffield Wednesday. I think Wednesday will be a little disappointed with their start so far, picking up just one point from two games, while Sunderland will be thrilled.
I think it will take Sunderland time to settle into life in the Championship so to see them with four points from their opening two games is a great start for them. If they continue this, and they do improve over the next few weeks as expected then they could quickly turn into genuine promotion contenders. This is an important game for both, and we should be in for a great game with two very good teams going head to head.
Sheffield Wednesday Form
It has been a disappointing start for Sheffield Wednesday, who are expected to challenge for promotion once again this season. An opening day defeat to Preston was followed up with a home draw against QPR, a team they failed to create enough chances against.
If they are to challenge for promotion then we need to see much more from Sheffield Wednesday, starting as soon as possible because this league is hard to make up ground in. They have the squad, and the previous experience of challenging for a top spot, we just need to see them put it all into practice and start piecing together some good results.
Sunderland Form
I expected Sunderland to struggle at the start of the season, before eventually coming good in a few weeks. However, they have done the opposite and had a great start which has really surprised me. They opened their Championship season with a home draw against Derby, a game they probably should have won after putting in a good performance.
They followed that up with a fantastic performance to take all three points in an away game against Norwich. That really surprised me but all credit goes to Sunderland who played very well and more importantly, they took the chances they were given. They didn’t create too many chances, but the ones they did they took very well and stunned the home team.
For me Sunderland are one of the most intriguing teams in the Championship this season and I am fascinated to see how they continue. If they can keep up this good start then they have a great chance of bouncing straight back into the Premier League.
Team News
After just one goal in two games, Sheffield Wednesday are probably going to make even more changes in their attacking line up. Sam Winnall has scored their only goal of the season so far, but is yet to start a game so it wouldn’t surprise me if Wednesday gave him a start in this game. Whoever plays Sheffield Wednesday need to quickly work out their best eleven and give them time to settle instead of constantly changing things.
Lewis Grabban looks like being the main man at Sunderland if you are judging on early performances and he comes into this game with three goals in his first two Championship games. Scoring goals is always important in this league and while ever they are creating opportunities for Grabban, he is more than capable of finishing them. Midfielder Aiden McGeady scored and set one up for Grabban and he has the potential to be one of the best wingers in the Championship once he settles in the North East.
Top Betting Tips
This game puts two of the best teams in the Championship together, although I expected them to come in with very different form. Sheffield Wednesday have started much worse than I imagined they would, while Sunderland have done the opposite and started much better. I am still sure that both will be towards the top of the table and both will get going soon.
With recent form in mind, I have to back Sunderland to win this game. They are certainly value in the game and can be backed at 13/5 with Stan James and SkyBet. For a team who are in form and have just won away at Norwich, I think that is a very fair price for them to win against a Sheffield Wednesday team who are struggling to get going. Two top teams going head to head should bring a good game and I am taking Sunderland to win the game at a value price of 13/5 with Stan James and SkyBet.