Sheffield Wednesday v Birmingham: Owls to impress at fortress Hillsborough

Sheffield Wednesday v Birmingham
Friday 10th February, 19:45
Live on Sky Sports 1

Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal has said his Owls outfit will continue to do whatever it takes to collect Championship victories after overseeing a grinding 1-0 triumph away to Wigan last Friday night.

Wednesday have been more workmanlike than spectacular for large swathes of the 2016/17 season and their DW Stadium success was a prime example of Carvalhal's wishes; Ross Wallace's scruffy, deflected 43rd minute goal the Owls' only shot on-target in the encounter.

The Portuguese boss wants his team to entertain and win playing aggressive, attractive passing football but that wasn't possible on the boggy Wigan pitch. Therefore, a return to Hillsborough should see Wednesday put on a more punchy performance.

The hosts are boosted by the returns of Sam Hutchinson, Tom Lees, Morgan Fox and Will Buckley from injury and suspension, giving Carvalhal plenty of options.

Birmingham

Gianfranco Zola became Birmingham's first manager since the club joined the Football League to fail to record a victory in his opening eight league games before an overdue 1-0 win against Fulham last weekend.

Blues made four changes to their side - handing debuts to Cheick Keita and Jerome Sinclair - and also switched system to a midfield diamond. Birmingham were under pressure for the majority of the match but the game turned in their favour following Ryan Fredericks' sending off.

City made the most of the space vacated in the right-back berth with Lukas Jutkiewicz grabbing the all-important winning goal. Zola said he was delighted with his team's effort and endeavour but Birmingham still look a long way short of the free-flowing side the Italian is looking to build.

Match Odds

Sheffield Wednesday haven't lost a home league clash with Birmingham since 2006 (W3-D2-L0) and the Owls should be fancied to extend that streak with a positive result at Hillsborough. And the 1.84 available on a home success should be snapped up accordingly.

Wednesday have won 22/36 (61%) of their home fixtures under Carlos Carvalhal, recording 16 (44%) clean sheets in that sample. Exclude Hillsborough encounters with top-six visitors and the Owls boast a mightily impressive W21-D5-L2 return in front of their home supporters.

Only Bristol City (4) have collected fewer points since Gianfranco Zola arrived at Birmingham (6) and with the Blues picking up a sole triumph on their travels since mid-September, an away-day victory looks unlikely.

Over/Under 2.5 Goals

Sheffield Wednesday's rock-solid defence has ensured high-scoring contests are few and far between. The Owls have shut out each of their past four guests to Hillsborough with 7/13 (54%) fixtures featuring Under 2.5 Goals 1.81.

Birmingham's shot-shy nature has seen only two of the Blues' last eight produce three goals or more with road trips consistently flying below the goals line - a chunky 12 of City's past 17 on their travels have paid out for Under 2.5 Goals backers.

Collectively, these two teams have been involved in 45/73 (62%) successful home/away Under 2.5 Goals selections since the start of last season. That percentage implies betting odds of 1.61, making the 1.81 offer a value bet.

Recommended Bets
Back Sheffield Wednesday to win @ 1.84