Sheffield Wednesday v Southampton predictions and odds: Owls and Saints set for lively season opener

Where to watch Sheffield Wednesday v Southampton

Sky Sports Football & Main Event, 8pm Friday

Best bet

Over 2.5 goals
2pts Evs general

Sheffield Wednesday v Southampton odds

Sheffield Wednesday 11-5
Southampton 13-10
Draw 12-5

Odds correct at time of publishing

Sheffield Wednesday v Southampton team news

Sheffield Wednesday
New signings Ashley Fletcher, Juan Delgado, Di'Shon Bernard, Bambo Diaby and Pol Valentin are hoping to make their competitive debuts. Liam Palmer and Mallik Wilks are doubts.

Southampton 
Tino Livramento is set to join Newcastle but Romeo Lavia and James Ward-Prowse could be involved despite being linked with moves away from the club. New signing Shea Charles has been playing in defence in pre-season and Nathan Tella is back after last season's successful loan spell at Burnley.

Sheffield Wednesday v Southampton predictions

The new EFL season kicks off at Hillsborough, where both Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton are starting life in a new division under new managers.

Southampton were tailed off in the Premier League for much of the 2022-23 season, bowing out of the top flight having won just three of their 23 matches after the World Cup break.

While Saints could begin planning for the Championship well before the end of last season, Wednesday's 2023-24 status was settled by a 120th-minute Josh Windass goal in the League One playoff final against ten-man Barnsley.

That late drama was entirely in keeping with a season in which the Owls banked 96 points, the most by any club in EFL history to miss out on automatic promotion, before overturning a 4-0 first-leg deficit against Peterborough in an extraordinary playoff semi-final tie.

After all that excitement, Wednesday fans might have been looking forward to a quiet summer but the club parted company with promotion-winning manager Darren Moore just three weeks after their win at Wembley.

Moore has been replaced by Xisco Munoz, who had a successful – if predictably brief – spell in charge of Watford in 2021. Xisco led the Hornets to promotion from the Championship before being sacked seven games into the 2021-22 Premier League season and he could be in for another turbulent tenure under fiery Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri.

Southampton, along with fellow relegated clubs Leicester and Leeds, head the promotion betting and the highly-regarded Russell Martin looks a smart appointment after Ralph Hasenhuttl, Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles failed to keep them up last season.

Saints signed off with a 4-4 draw at home to Liverpool and their previous two Premier League points came in 3-3 draws against Arsenal and Tottenham so the evens about over 2.5 goals at Hillsborough is a tempting price.

With almost a month of the transfer window remaining, there is still uncertainty over the futures of several Southampton players and Tino Livramento is closing in on a move to Newcastle. 

However, Martin has a fine array of attacking options at Championship level. Nathan Tella was the top goalscorer for second-division champions Burnley last term, Adam Armstrong and Che Adams are proven Championship performers, and Argentinian youngster Carlos Alcaraz, a reported target for Napoli, impressed in the top flight.

Both Saints and Wednesday, who averaged 2.13 goals per game at home in League One, could line up with new-look defences but both have plenty of creative talent and a lively season opener is in prospect. 

Key stat

Seven of Southampton's last 11 Premier League matches featured over 3.5 goals.

Probable teams

Sheffield Wednesday (4-3-3): Dawson; Palmer, Bernard, Iorfa, James; Vaulks, Byers, Bannan; Windass, Smith, Delgado
Subs: Gregory, Fletcher, Diaby, Valentin, Paterson, Johnson, Ihiekwe

Southampton (4-2-3-1): Bazunu; Walker-Peters, Stephens, Charles, Manning; Ward-Prowse, Smallbone; Tella, Alcaraz, Edozie; Adams
Subs: A Armstrong, Bree, Bednarek, Perraud, Lavia, S Armstrong, Aribo

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