The pre-season promotion favourites are back in action on Friday night, as Leeds United travel to take on fellow Yorkshire side Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.
Can the visitors get their season up and running by winning at the third time of asking? Or will they once again be frustrated? Read on for our Sheffield Wednesday vs Leeds United predictions.
Sheffield Wednesday vs Leeds United prediction
For the Sheffield Wednesday vs Leeds United match prediction, we believe the final score will be a 2-1 win for Leeds United based on our analysis.
We did see the hosts romp to victory in their first home match, but they were helped by the fixture list, going up against a weak-looking Plymouth side. This is a much tougher test, and although the visitors are yet to win, they’ve created a positive enough impression to suggest that they can get a result here.
Our predictions and tips for the Sheffield Wednesday vs Leeds United fixture are as follows:
Joel Piroe to Score @ 2/1 with bet365
Anthony Musaba to Score Or Assist @ 11/5 with bet365
Sheffield Wednesday vs Leeds United betting odds
The table below shows that the visitors are big favourites in the early betting, available at odds that imply a winning probability of 55.6%.
Bet | Odds | Implied probability | Our adjusted probability | Difference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sheffield Wednesday | 7/2 | 22.2% | 25.0% | +2.8% |
Leeds United | 4/5 | 55.6% | 45.5% | -10.1% |
Draw | 5/2 | 28.6% | 29.5% | -0.9% |
Sheffield Wednesday vs Leeds United head-to-head statistics
The pair twice met last season, with a 0-0 draw unfolding at Elland Road, before Leeds improved to win by two goals to nil at Hillsborough.
Sheffield Wednesday vs Leeds United preview
This match will be played on 23/08/2024 at Elland Road. Kick off will be at 20:00 GMT.
On match-day one, things went rather well for Wednesday, who made light work of beating Plymouth Argyle, scoring four goals and conceding none on their way to making the perfect start to the new campaign.
Unfortunately, that opening-weekend win did not act as a springboard for further success. After that superb start, the Sheffield Wednesday boys struggled to get going last time out, losing by four goals to nil away at Sunderland.
Early on, we’ve seen the good and the bad as far as Danny Rohl’s men are concerned, so it’s hard to know what to expect here. They are at least back in front of a home crowd.
For Friday’s visitors, the word underwhelming comes to mind. Heavily fancied to return to the Premier League with a bang this season, having gone so close last term, Daniel Farke’s men are without a win after two games, three if you count that EFL Cup loss to Middlesbrough.
First time out, despite flying out of the blocks against Portsmouth, who’re back in Championship following a promotion from League One, the Whites couldn’t get over the lines, needing a late, late equaliser to take a point.
A point is what they got last weekend too, drawing 0-0 with West Brom. We know that there are some excellent players in the Leeds squad, and it’s probably fair to say that Farke has the tools at his disposal to seriously challenge for promotion, but the early signs point towards improvement being needed.
Sheffield Wednesday vs Leeds United Betting tips
As these two Yorkshire sides clash on Friday evening, I’m highlighting two betting opportunities, both of which involve individual players.
Joel Piroe to Score
We’ll start with Joel Piroe, who at 2/1, looks a decent bet to score. The former Swansea forward enjoyed a decent campaign with Leeds last term, scoring 13 goals, averaging 0.46 goals per 90 minutes.
Since Joel Piroe became a Championship player, nobody has scored more goals than the Dutchman at this level. Such a stat is not easy to ignore.
With fellow dutch forward Crysencio Summerville now in the Premier League, Piroe is going to be tasked with shouldering more of a scoring responsibility this term and he’s good enough to do that.
Yet to score this term, the forward is already averaging 0.36 xG per 90 minutes, while this match against a home team that looked weak at the back last time out, represents a solid opportunity for him to notch his first goal of the new campaign.
Anthony Musaba Over 0.5 Assists
I also like the look of home-team player Anthony Musaba, who at 11/5, definitely goes down as a decent ‘Score Or Assist’ bet.
The wideman has already provided a goal this season, assisting against Plymouth on match-day one, while he should be well suited by playing on the break against a side of Leeds’ calibre.
Musaba was Wednesday’s top performer in terms of assists last season, while he was also the joint-highest scorer. Overall, the 22-year-old registered 12 goals and assists, delivering 0.41 per 90 minutes.
Factor in an average of 0.48 xG/xGA, plus an average of 0.62 xG/xGA at the start of this season, and the youngster is well worth betting on to make a telling goal contribution all the time 11/5 is on offer.
Recap - Sheffield Wednesday vs Leeds United betting tips
In summary, the two bets recommended ahead of this Championship fixture are:
Joel Piroe to Score @ 2/1 with bet365
Anthony Musaba to Score or Assist @ 11/5 with bet365
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