Oxford United vs Sheffield Wednesday Prediction: 8/1 about Owls to continue great away form

Oxford United’s horrific drop down the Championship table leaves them in desperate need of a win on Saturday when they host Sheffield Wednesday at the Kassam Stadium (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

The U’s have recorded just one win in 14 attempts, falling from seventh to 20th in the process, and now face an Owls side boasting 12 points from their last five games on their travels. Here are my Oxford United vs Sheffield Wednesday predictions, along with full preview and odds.

Team News

Kyle Edwards returned to the field in Oxford’s midweek loss at QPR after a long-term ankle injury and Des Buckingham was happy to have the winger available once again but hinted that he will be cautious in handing out further minutes on Saturday.

“He’s worked extremely hard to get himself back onto the field despite so many setbacks,” Buckingham said after the 2-0 defeat.

“It’s now about making sure that we bring him back in at the right time to keep him in. In December we’ve got a lot of games where we’d like to utilise him. Now it’s about getting him up to speed as quick as he can.”

Despite Edwards’ return, Oxford still have a number of long-term issues. Joe Bennett recently took his first steps on the training pitch after sustaining an ankle injury in August, while Louie Sibley has a similar problem which will also see him miss the festive fixtures.

Siriki Dembele is yet another victim of an ankle issue, but he is on the verge of being available again.

For Wednesday, Olaf Kobacki has returned to training after what manager Danny Rohl has described as a “muscle injury”. Akin Famewo’s thigh issue continues to rule him out for the foreseeable future, though Max Lowe has deputised superbly as a left-sided centre-back in his absence.

Otherwise, Rohl has a “full house,” as he called it in his pre-match press conference, with the German boss putting the positive injury overview down to their ability to rotate at regular intervals.

Oxford United vs Sheffield Wednesday Odds

Looking at the differing form of the two sides, it is clear to see why Wednesday are favourites to win at the Kassam.

They might well have gone down to a fourth home defeat of the season against Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday night, and indeed have managed just three wins in 11 at Hillsborough this season, but their recent excellent away form has them as a 13/10 shot with Betfred at an implied probability of 43.5%.

That seems like great value given the fact they have four wins in five on the road, with three of them being come-from-behind successes at Coventry City, Portsmouth and Derby County.

Oxford, meanwhile, have the second-worst away form in the whole division so far this season but have collected four wins and four draws in 10 home matches, meaning the 9/4 on offer with Betfred at an implied 30.8% also decent value.

There’s a weighty 11/5 available for the draw, with the two sides having been involved in 10 ties between them so far (Oxford six, Wednesday four).

Given the Owls’ good form on the road but regular inability to make things straightforward, the Match Result & Both Teams to Score market might be the one drawing greatest interest, with Wednesday & Yes a generous 18/5 (21.7%).

Sheff Wed to win 2-1 @ 8/1

Let’s get the historical context out of the way first. Wednesday have a pretty horrific record against Oxford, having beaten the U’s only once in nine meetings since April 1988.

The U’s have won four of the clashes in that time, recording a league double over the Owls in 2021-22 before claiming a pair of League One draws the following season.

That shouldn’t mean what it used to with Wednesday though. They have already gone to Coventry and Derby in recent weeks and recorded their first away wins on those territories since 1995 and 2006 respectively.

Their improved away form has left Rohl answering questions as to why his troops have now claimed more wins in nine matches on the road than they have in 11 games in S6.

“We do exactly the same. We don’t sleep in a hotel before a home game, but I think this is not the most important point,” Rohl explained.

“We have played against some good teams at home… in the last away games I think we scored in the right moments – sometimes very late in the game – and away you sometimes have a little bit more space.

“On Tuesday it was the first time we had played the last 30 minutes against a very, very deep block. We never played so often against such a deep block, they defended for their lives and had six or seven players around the box. This is not easy.

“Away, I don’t want to say it’s easier, but you have a different kind of game. We have to create more chances and be more sharp in the final action.”

That extra space on their travels has been exploited well, and I can see Wednesday having some success at the Kassam. There is a tension in their performances at Hillsborough but a freedom and confidence even in sticky moments away from home.

And given their trio of 2-1 away wins over the last couple of months, I’m drawn to backing them to repeat the trick this weekend.

The Kassam still isn’t an easy place to visit despite Oxford’s slide of late, and Wednesday are prone to making life hard for themselves. But ultimately, I think the Owls are the better side here and I’m taking them to win by the odd goal in three at an excellent 8/1.

Football Odds

Josh Windass anytime goalscorer @ 12/5

Given their exploits away to Portsmouth and Derby County in overturning a half-time lead to win 2-1, it’s tempting to back up my first selection with an Oxford/Wednesday 28/1 half-time/full-time bet.

But I’m going safer will my second pick, and backing Josh Windass to get on the scoresheet. He’s the Owls’ joint-top goalscorer so far in 2024-25 with five goals and is a more likely starter than Michael Smith, who sits alongside him in that chart.

All five of the former Rangers and Wigan Athletic man’s goals this term have come in Wednesday wins, with only Coventry and Derby beaten without Windass featuring among the scorers.

The moral of the story being, Windass is a key catalyst, and I can see him having a huge say again on Saturday. The 12/5 odds at a probability of 29.4% are on the attractive side to me.

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.