Bolton vs Sheffield Wednesday Prediction: Trotters can outwit troubled Owls

Crisis club Sheffield Wednesday somehow lost only narrowly to Leicester in their Championship opener and now face another thankless away trip, to Bolton in round one of the EFL Cup, on Wednesday (19:45 BST, Sky Sports+).

The Owls might have the divisional advantage over their League One hosts, but they are short of players after a tumultuous summer of discontent at Hillsborough. Can they defy the odds? Below are my Bolton vs Sheffield Wednesday predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Bolton have a tough trip to Barnsley on Saturday so Steven Schumacher will tweak his side, with the likes of Nathan Broome, Josh Dacres-Cogley and Kyle Dempsey coming in.

Wednesday will be without Barry Bannan - suspended after his red card at Leicester - and fellow midfielder Nathanial Chalobah. He injured a hamstring at the King Power Stadium.

The Owls can start recruiting players, but with an eye on Stoke at the weekend Henrik Pedersen is expected to send out a youthful team against the Trotters.

Bolton Wanderers vs Sheffield Wednesday Odds

Such is the level of crisis at Hillsborough that Bolton, despite being in the division below, are a 2/5 chance with the Owls available at 13/2.

Over 10.5 Corners @ 1/1

People might want to see the Wednesday teamsheet before they go in too strongly in a game where, on the face of it, Bolton are too short.

The 2/5 Trotters are deemed good things because of the lie of the land at Hillsborough where the Owls are in a real crisis.

However, the crisis was a lot worse last week with elements of a transfer embargo lifted and new boss Pedersen at least able to bring a few faces in.

It's unlikely that Pedersen has given this tie a second thought and it is a distraction he could do without with a fight to stay in the Championship only just having started.

Creditably, they lost only 2-1 at Leicester in their opener though it's possible Pedersen might not play a single first-teamer at the Toughsheet Stadium and clearly that comes with the risk of a really bad beating.

Bolton were good at the weekend beating Plymouth 2-0 and are going to fancy their chances.

First bet, however, is a corners suggestion and over 10.5 in the match. Leicester racked up 13 against Wednesday on Sunday for a match haul of 16 while Bolton's two fixtures - a 2-0 loss at Stockport before the win over Plymouth - have yielded 16 and 11 corners respectively.

Today's Football Fixtures

Bolton win & Over 2.5 Goals @ 9/10

Obviously if the Owls send out the kids - and they are already short of senior pros, with a couple more in Bannan and Chalobah ruled out - then pro-Trotters prices are going to be slashed.

But Bolton are unlikely to be at full strength either though they are at least privileged to have a big squad to dig into courtesy of an impressive transfer window under Schumacher.

Leicester racked up 27 shots, 13 on target, as the Owls rode their luck at the King Power at the weekend so expect goals in most of their games.

Bolton should be able to beat a depleted and demoralised opponent - and do so amid a flurry of goals.

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