Sheffield Wednesday vs Bristol City Prediction: 12/1 tip for a stalemate at troubled Hillsborough

Sheffield Wednesday will need to put aside their off-field distractions at Hillsborough on Wednesday if they are to pick up three vital points against Bristol City in their push for the Championship’s top six. (19:45 GMT, Sky Sports+).

An erratic recent fans’ forum held by chairman Dejphon Chansiri has helped to pit the fanbase against the maligned owner, with protests planned before and during the game. So my Sheffield Wednesday vs Bristol City predictions, as well as full preview and match odds, will lean heavily on the difficult atmosphere in S6.

Team News

Wednesday are without long-term injury victims Akin Famewo (thigh muscle) and Dominic Iorfa (hamstring), neither of whom are expected to return to match action before March.

This also marks the final game at Wednesday for Shea Charles unless the Owls can make a successful late plea to Southampton to extend the Northern Ireland midfielder’s loan deal. The Saints exercised their recall clause last week, leaving Charles with just seven days left in the blue and white.

There was no space in the 20-player squad for Michael Smith when Wednesday lost 3-0 to Leeds United on Sunday, and with the former Rotherham United man having been spotted out at a social event during the game there is a belief he could be on the move before January is over.

Robins boss Liam Manning has both Sinclair Armstrong and Mark Sykes back after hamstring issues, with both having made a return in the 1-0 loss to Coventry City on Saturday.

The head coach is likely to choose no more than two of the attacking midfield trio that is Anis Mehmeti, Yu Hirakawa and Scott Twine as he looks for the right formula away from home six games and just two points on from their last victory on the road.

Sheffield Wednesday vs Bristol City Odds

Wednesday have a middling home record this season to put it mildly, and the 11/8 odds Betfred are offering on the Owls winning reflect that. The 42.1% probability implied by that price are about right given the fact Danny Rohl’s side have collected just five wins in 14 attempts on their patch so far.

A Bristol City victory is available at 21/10 (32.3%), with their lack of an away win since beating Norwich City 2-0 at Carrow Road in early November making them difficult to back in this one.

So the 9/4 for the draw looks decent given the relative form of the two sides, while a repeat of the 0-0 stalemate the pair played out in October is 8/1.

Draw & Both Teams To Score @ 16/5

This is a game which really could make or break Wednesday’s play-off ambitions, with the toxicity in the air playing a big part in the match’s over-sized proportions.

A win could lift some of the off-field gloom, take the Owls up to ninth and move them to within two points of sixth.

A defeat, or even a draw, and the vast majority of Wednesdayites will be resigning themselves to a mid-table finish at best given the impending departure of Charles back to Southampton and the creeping inevitability of another blow-up from Chansiri any time soon.

There have reportedly been positive talks between the chairman and manager Rohl this week relating to potential additions in the January window, but supporters of the club have been here many times before and know exactly how this turns out if results don’t improve soon.

As such, I can see this being a really nervy occasion at Hillsborough, with Wednesday struggling to get things going. I have Bristol City to take the lead but the Owls to hit back, but neither having the wherewithal to go on and make the game theirs.

I’m tempted by the 5/1 for a 1-1 correct score, but this could even end up a bit like Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with Millwall in the last game in S6, so I’ll side with the 16/5 for any score draw.

Football Odds

Bristol City/Draw @ 12/1

Here’s where I look for big value. In five of Bristol City’s eight score draws this season, the Robins have scored first. Meanwhile, Wednesday have conceded the opener in 19 of 32 matches in 2024-25.

The home side have also collected the most points in the second tier from losing positions, racking up 16 in come-from-behind efforts. For context, the next-ranked team has 12.

That edgy atmosphere around the stadium could also help to give City a bit of a foothold early, so I can well see the visitors striking before the break.

Given the argument I’ve already made for the draw, Wednesday’s proven ability for striking back, and the fact Liam Manning’s side score first more often than not (14 of 27 in total in the Championship), the 12/1 Betfred have priced this up at feels generous. That’s a probability of 23.8%.

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