Sheffield Wednesday vs Birmingham
EFL Championship
Friday
9th February 2024
Hillsborough
The most comprehensive preview, detailed analysis and reliable predictions of the EFL Championship fixture between Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham.
Sheffield Wednesday vs Birmingham: Preview
Sheffield Wednesday form analysis
The Owls started 2024 in excellent goalscoring form, beating Hull City 3-1 at home thanks to goals from Johnson, Gassama and Windass. However, their form has drastically deteriorated since then. They suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat away to Southampton, with Adams, Armstrong, Fraser and Mara all on target in a ruthless attacking display by the hosts. Sheffield Wednesday’s struggles continued as they lost 1-2 at home to Coventry City, conceded to a Sheaf brace before Windass pulled a late goal back.
Most recently they have failed to score in their last two matches, drawing a blank in a goalless home draw against Watford. This was followed by another heavy loss, thrashed 0-4 away to Huddersfield Town. Pearson, Koroma and Thomas scored for Huddersfield before the hosts ran riot late on. In summary, after an excellent start to 2024, Sheffield Wednesday’s form has completely collapsed. From scoring four goals in their opening three games of the year, they have now gone two matches without a goal. If they cannot find their early January attacking spark soon, a mid-table finish is the best Wednesday can hope for this season. Manager Danny Röhl will demand an instant reaction after the dismal showing at Huddersfield.
Birmingham form analysis
Birmingham City entered 2024 in poor form, failing to score in a 0-0 home draw against Bristol City. Their struggles continued as they suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat away to Leeds United, with Bamford, James and Summerville all on target for Leeds. However, Birmingham showed some spirit to fight back from behind and grab a 2-2 home draw against Swansea in their next match. Despite going behind to goals from Darling and Lowe, second half strikes from Dembélé and James earned Birmingham a hard-fought point.
Most recently, Birmingham returned to winning ways with an excellent 1-2 victory away at Stoke City. Goals from Stansfield and Bacuna put Birmingham in control before Thompson pulled one back for Stoke late on. Overall, after three games without a win, Birmingham finally got a deserved victory against Stoke to arrest their poor run. With attacking threats like Dembélé and Stansfield looking dangerous, Birmingham have enough quality to pull away from the relegation zone. However, keeping things tight at the back remains a concern, having conceded at least twice in three of their last four matches. Building on the Stoke win is now essential for the manager.
Sheffield Wednesday vs Birmingham: Prediction
This venue has witnessed an average of over 2.5 goals per game in the last six Championship fixtures. The Blues last four games on the road have recorded more than three goals on average. Therefore, I do see a high scoring fixture this Friday.
The visitors have lost all but three of their previous thirteen league matches on the road. Their chances look slim when they go against a club with just a couple losses in their previous seven home games.
