Sheffield Wednesday vs Preston North End Prediction: 6/1 for Windass to make the difference

Sheffield Wednesday will be out to replicate their burgeoning away record on home soil on Saturday when they welcome Preston North End to Hillsborough in the Championship.

The Owls have beaten both Hull City and Derby County on the road since their last action in S6, and Paul Heckingbottom’s side arrive without a single away win to their name. Here are my Sheffield Wednesday vs Preston North End predictions, along with full preview and odds.

Team News

Wednesday will make changes again despite having recorded those away wins over Hull and Derby in their last two fixtures.

One of Danny Rohl’s alterations is enforced, with Barry Bannan suspended for reaching five bookings this season when throwing the ball to one side at Derby last Sunday.

The better news on the disciplinary front is the return of Di’Shon Bernard following his own one-match lay-off for an accumulation of yellow cards.

Elsewhere, Akin Famewo (thigh) and Olaf Kobacki (muscle injury) remain long-term absentees, although the Polish attacker is expected to be back in training within the next fortnight.

Goal-shy striker Ike Ugbo missed the trip to Derby having picked up a knock at Hull and a late decision could be made on his involvement. Dominic Iorfa came off at half-time on Sunday but should be available, though he could still be replaced by the returning Bernard.

Back-up goalkeeper Pierce Charles has missed out on the last two squads due to a finger problem, and Ben Hamer could again be James Beadle’s deputy.

Rohl will choose between four-goal Michael Smith and Jamal Lowe to lead the line after the latter came off the bench to net the 94th-minute winner at Pride Park last Sunday.

For Preston, there is good news in that Mads Frokjaer is back available and so too Liam Lindsay, who scored the only goal in the last Hillsborough meeting between these two sides back in August 2023.

Frokjaer has missed the last couple of games with hamstring trouble, while the centre-back sat out the last four due to a groin problem.

Robbie Brady is back on the grass after six weeks out with an ankle injury. However, boss Heckingbottom insists that the Ireland international won’t be risked.

“Robbie has trained, but it is a bit too soon for him,” Heckingbottom told members of the press. “We will see, but I am not expecting to use Robbie. Mads is back, Liam is back, Robbie has just missed a lot of football, so it would be a big decision to throw him in.”

Sheffield Wednesday vs Preston North End Odds

Wednesday are the 9/10 favourites here, and their improved recent form is supportive of that. They have lost just once – away to league leaders Sheffield United – in their last five games, and those back-to-back away victories see them return to Hillsborough with momentum on their side.

Preston are 3/1 for the win, implying a 25% probability, which is reflective of the fact they haven’t recorded a victory in their last nine matches. The 1-0 home success against Coventry City on October 19 has been followed by six draws and three defeats in all competitions, including a Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Arsenal.

Those six ties in eight fixtures at Championship level, tied in with Wednesday’s less-than-convincing home form – they have 12 points from nine home games as opposed to 13 in nine on the road – makes the 21/10 price that Betfred has for the draw, at an implied 32.3% chance, very appealing.

There has been a definite trend of results between these sides of late, with the last four all ending in 1-0 scorelines. In 2020-21 both home teams triumphed by the only goal, and then the two away sides finished on top in tight encounters last season upon Wednesday’s return to the Championship.

Betfred are offering 7/4 on there again being under 1.5 goals in this one, while a 1-0 Wednesday win is 5/1 and another Preston triumph by the same score is 9/1.

Sheff Wed/Sheff Wed @ 21/10

Hillsborough has not been the happiest of hunting grounds for the home side so far in 2024-25, with the 4-0 hammering of Plymouth Argyle on opening day having largely been followed by tighter affairs.

There have been a couple of really impressive wins since then though, with West Bromwich Albion being beaten 3-2 in an absorbing clash in September and Norwich City going home empty-handed in November after first-half goals for Josh Windass and Dominic Iorfa.

But those three wins have come amidst a trio of draws and the same number of defeats as Danny Rohl’s troops continue to find it difficult converting their chances in front of their home crowd.

However, I can see Wednesday creating enough in this one to make Preston pay, and after a slow start against Derby last week there will be a real emphasis on them getting out of the blocks just as they did at Hull when they could have had three or four goals in the first 20 minutes.

And if the Owls do get that early goal, I can see them holding out against a PNE outfit short on confidence against the backdrop of their nine-game winless streak.

Paul Heckingbottom might have claimed this week that Wednesday are playing no better now than when they finished 20th last term, but in truth they are just searching for the goals to back up their dynamic play. And one in the first half might be enough to hand them the control their manager so desires.

Football Odds

Josh Windass first goalscorer @ 6/1

Josh Windass has a record for netting big goals for Wednesday, and of late he has begun to net timely ones too.

The former Rangers and Wigan Athletic man has bagged three in his last six starts, including a key equaliser in the come-from-behind win at Portsmouth, the opener to settle the nerves against Norwich City three days after a 6-2 home walloping by Watford, and a nerveless penalty at Hull when Wednesday were awarded their first spot-kick in over a year-and-a-half.

That speaks to his importance to the Owls’ cause in front of goal, especially given how rarely they have been able to make the most of their superiority in games at times.

Including his delightful headed effort to follow Darnell Furlong’s own-goal opener against West Brom, three of Windass’ five this term have counted as the first goal for settlement purposes, and I can see him breaking the deadlock here again.

I fancy him to score at some point, and with it being likely to be another tight clash between these two, the mark up from the 9/4 anytime scorer bet to the 6/1 for the first goal is just too tempting for me.

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