- Sheffield Wednesday have won four of their last five games.
- Wolverhampton have won three of their last five.
- Owls boss Henrik Pedersen has implemented an organised pressing game at Wednesday, while Wolves' César Peixoto is taking a more direct and fast-paced approach.
Cup clash could go the way of the visitors
Wolves look to have slightly more about them in all departments than Sheffield Wednesday at this stage of the season and should have a bit too much quality in Tuesday's EFL Cup 2026-2027 round two clash at Hillsborough.
The bookmakers have Wolves installed as favourites for this cup clash at 63/100, with Wednesday available at 4/1 and the draw at 59/20. That's not surprising given Wednesday have won each of their last three fixtures - beating Preston North End 3-2, Bolton Wanderers 1-0 and Leyton Orient 2-1 in that sequence.
But Wolves also come into the match with some momentum after enjoying a good run of 3-0 wins over Racing Santander and Port Vale, either side of a 2-2 draw with Blackburn Rovers. They also have an away record of 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss, so they should be in good shape to get a result at Hillsborough.
Midfields will set the tone
Wednesday and Wolves will approach this cup match in contrasting ways with the Owls wanting to control and get the ball, while the Wolves like to press and get it back quickly.
Henrik Pedersen has Wednesday set up in a back four with organised pressing and wide attacking patterns that should allow Barry Bannan to be the hub of the team. Wolves are playing with a sharp edge under César Peixoto - one that has made them more direct in transition and far quicker in vertical play.
Jamal Lowe has provided some of the spark for Wednesday, scoring two of their past five goals, while Fer Lopez has done the same for Wolves with three in his last five appearances. But it's the midfield clashes that will set the mood for this game, and Wolves have the edge in the middle third of the pitch at the moment.
Wolves have away bite
Wednesday's home record across all competitions this season is three wins, two draws and one loss, so Hillsborough has been a pretty good place to be for them. But Wolves have enough away bite to make it close and possibly nick the game.
The Wolves have two wins, one draw and one defeat on the road in all competitions this term, so I'm backing them to get the job done with both teams to score as my main wager here.
Wednesday have four wins, three draws and three defeats in their last ten across all comps, while Wolves have four, four and two. Wolves score on average 1.00 goals per game away from home, hitting four away goals in total, which doesn't suggest they will go wild in front of goal on Tuesday.
Over 2.5 goals and both teams to score is also coming in at 4/5, which is probably a shade too low for this cup fixture. But Wednesday have conceded 1.33 goals per home game across all competitions - shipping eight in total - so their back line can be opened up.
