Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Championship clash between Sheffield Wednesday and Oxford United, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Both aiming to bounce back from midweek league defeats, Sheffield Wednesday will welcome Oxford United to Hillsborough on Saturday for an important contest at the bottom end of the Championship table.
A third straight loss on Tuesday left the hosts at the foot of the table, while their visitors are just three points better off in 20th spot.
Match preview
Sheffield Wednesday return to action on Saturday aiming to climb off the foot of the Championship table, having endured a tough start to a campaign which promised to be an uphill struggle.
Amid ongoing off-field financial issues, the Owls headed into the 2025-26 season under the new management of Henrik Pedersen with a notably small squad, and they have only managed to earn six points from their opening 11 games, conceding a league-high tally of 23 goals in that time.
The Owls’ only victory thus far came in a trip to Portsmouth last month, and after following that up with a pair of creditable draws, they headed into the international break on the back of a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Coventry City, a game in which fan protests ramped up.
Pedersen’s men have since suffered two more defeats on their return, firstly visiting Charlton Athletic last weekend and losing 2-1, before hosting Middlesbrough on Wednesday in front of a near-empty Hillsborough due to supporter boycotts and coming away empty-handed, as Morgan Whittaker‘s early goal for the visitors made the only difference.
With pressure continuing to grow around Hillsborough and with financial concerns only ramping up amid ownership protests, Sheffield Wednesday will, at least, hope to end their winless run and move off the bottom of the division at the weekend.
Their visitors, meanwhile, head to South Yorkshire aiming to build a lead of their own over the drop zone after a midweek setback.
The 2025-26 Championship campaign has been a tough one for Oxford United thus far under the management of Gary Rowett, having earned nine points from their first 11 matches after a 17th-placed finish in their maiden Championship campaign last time around.
After putting a first notch in their wins column in late September, the U’s headed into the October break on the back of two defeats and a draw, but they would make a return to winning ways last weekend, hosting Derby County and taking all three points as Stanley Mills scored the only goal in the first half.
A trip to Wrexham then followed on Tuesday, but Rowett’s men failed to make it back-to-back victories, instead leaving empty-handed following a 1-0 defeat of their own as Nathan Broadhead‘s first-half goal made the only difference.
Now sitting 20th in England’s second tier and only leading 22nd-placed Norwich City by a single point, Oxford United will aim to put distance between themselves and the bottom three with a return to winning ways at Hillsborough.
Sheffield Wednesday Championship form:
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Oxford United Championship form:
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Team News
Sheffield Wednesday’s already-thin squad has been hit badly by injuries so far this season, with goalkeeper Pierce Charles, defenders Ernie Weaver and Di’Shon Bernard, midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah and attackers Olaf Kobacki and George Brown continuing spells in the treatment room.
Goalkeeper Ethan Horvath will return to contention after a red card, but Joe Lumley should keep his place between the sticks, having impressed on Wednesday after arriving on a seven-day emergency loan from Bristol City after Horvath’s sending-off leaving the Owls without a senior stopper.
Horvath, himself, was only signed on an emergency loan following Charles’s injury, while Pedersen’s men are also light in defence and could field a back three of Gabriel Otegbayo, Dominic Iorfa and Max Lowe.
Oxford United head to Hillsborough with a relatively clean bill of health, as Matt Phillips is expected to be the only enforced absentee.
Rowett fielded the same starting XI for last weekend’s win over Derby County and the midweek trip to Wrexham, and Brodie Spencer, Michal Helik, Ciaron Brown and Jack Currie should again line up in a back four.
He may opt to change things up in attack, though, with Will Lankshear, Filip Krastev, Mark Harris and Luke Harris competing for starts after Siriki Dembele and Stanley Mills flanked Nik Prelec last time out.
Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Lumley; Iorfa, Otegbayo, M Lowe; Palmer, Valery, Bannan, Ingelsson, Amass; J Lowe, Ugbo
Oxford United possible starting lineup:
Cumming; Spencer, Helik, Brown, Currie; Vaulks, Brannagan; Mills, De Keersmaecker, Krastev; Lankshear
We say: Sheffield Wednesday 0-1 Oxford United
Sheffield Wednesday will see Saturday as one of their better chances to pick up three points, but their visitors will also see Saturday’s trip as a crucial one in their own survival bid.
With issues off the pitch continuing to grow and their small squad taking further hits from injuries, we do not see the Owls having enough to deny Oxford United the three points at Hillsborough on Saturday despite their valiant efforts thus far.
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