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Sheffield Wednesday lock horns with Stoke City as the 22nd round of games in the EFL Championship beckons on Saturday. The two sides are perched in opposite halves of the standings.
Danny Rohl's Sheffield are fresh off a 3-1 win at newly promoted Oxford United last weekend. The U's opened the scoring through Greg Leigh in the 17th minute, but that was as good as things would get for the hosts on the night.
Sheffield hit back through Josh Windass 10 minutes later before Jamal Lowe put them ahead four minutes into the second period. Djeidi Gassama scored just past the hour mark to put the result beyond doubt as the Owls moved up to ninth in the points table, with 29 points from 21 games, winning eight.
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Meanwhile, Narcis Pelach's Stoke dropped points at home in their previous outing, drawing 2-2 with Cardiff City. The Potters broke the deadlock through Andrew Moran in the 17th minute but needed a 95th-minute Ben Gibson equalizer to force a share of the spoils.
Following the stalemate, Pelach's side are 17th in the standings, with 22 points from 21 games, winning five, snapping a three-game losing streak.
On that note, here's a look at the head-to-head stats and key numbers, match prediction, and betting tips for the Sheffield-Stoke Championship contest at Hillsborough.
Sheffield Wednesday vs Stoke City head-to-head and key stats
- Ahead of their 100th meeting across competitions, Sheffield lead Stoke 39-35, with their last clash ending 1-1 at Sheffield in the Championship in April this year.
- The two teams have had two wins apiece in their last eight meetings - all in the Championship.
- Sheffield have one win and two losses in their last five games - all in the Championship.
- Stoke have won just once in their last five road outings - all in the Championship - losing thrice.
- Form guide (last five games across competitions, most recent result first): Sheffield: W-L-D-W-W; Stoke: D-L-L-L-D
Sheffield Wednesday vs Stoke City prediction
Both sides have had underwhelming campaigns, especially Stoke, who are five points above the relegation zone, while Sheffield are five points off the play-off places.
The Owls hold a slender head-to-head lead over Stoke and are the more in-form side coming into the contest. The Potters are winless in seven games - losing thrice - since winning 2-0 at Blackburn Rovers in November.
However, draws have been the most common result in the fixture of late, so the trend could continue.
Prediction: Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Stoke City
Sheffield Wednesday vs Stoke City betting tips
Tip-1: Draw
Tip-2: Sheffield to keep a clean sheet: No (The Owls haven't kept one in four games, all in the Championship.)
Tip-3: Both sides to score: Yes (Both teams have scored in three of their last four games, all in the Championship.)
