- Sheffield Wednesday have failed to win any of their last 21 home Championship matches, with six draws and 15 defeats.
- Charlton have won four, drawn nine and lost eight of their 21 Championship away matches this season.
Owls’ open game could be exposed by Addicks
Relegation was confirmed for Sheffield Wednesday last weekend with the result that the Owls’ players and staff will likely all be on their holidays before this match kicks off. Henrik Pedersen, who took over during a spell of off-field turmoil, has done well to keep the squad together during a season of turmoil, but his efforts to install a different tactical system at this late stage are unlikely to bear fruit.
Wednesday are not a possession side, but rather a transition team that prefers to turn the ball over and counter attack on the wings. That’s not an ideal formula for a side with little time to work on things and a lack of pace up front.
Opposing manager Nathan Jones has been at the helm of Charlton since February 2024, and he has instilled a high-tempo, high-pressing style. He has done a decent job at keeping the Addicks mid-table, but their form has been patchy at best with no wins in their last five (D2, L3).
Jones’ pressing play should create chances
The last time these two teams met - at The Valley in the Championship five months ago - Charlton won 2-1 and that is probably our preference this Saturday, too. Jones’ men are playing good football, they press and they have forwards that can run into space and make things happen in the transitions.
They are averaging 0.90 goals per game away in the Championship this term and conceding 1.33 on average, so we’re not expecting a goal-fest, but Wednesday have scored only 11 times at Hillsborough this season. Charlton will press them and they will win the ball in good areas to exploit the weak Owls attack.
Wednesday’s top scorer Charlie McNeill has only four goals in 36 appearances in this Championship campaign while Charlton’s Sonny Carey is on eight in 42. So the Addicks will provide the bigger threat here and look good value at 87/100 to grab all three points.
The odds of 11/10 for ‘Over 2.5 Goals’ also look tempting because a high-scoring game is unlikely but Charlton are a well-drilled outfit who can keep Wednesday out, particularly if they press the hosts into mistakes. The odds for ‘Both Teams to Score - No’ are 83/100, which reflects the likelihood that at least one of the teams will fail to hit the net.
