West Brom v Sheffield Wednesday: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Two sides in the thick of the Championship play-off race will meet at The Hawthorns on Saturday lunchtime as West Brom play host to Sheffield Wednesday.

The Baggies will head into the game occupying the final play-offs spot in sixth, but that position has become more precarious over recent weeks following a run of just two league wins in eight games.

That stuttering form has allowed the chasing pack to close the gap and one of those teams is Wednesday, who start the weekend in 10th but are just two points worse off than their hosts.

West Brom v Sheffield Wednesday betting tips and predictions

Double Chance - Draw or Sheffield Wednesday - 8/11

It is fair to say that the Christmas Eve departure of former head coach Carlos Corberan has disrupted West Brom's play-off push, as they have taken just nine points from their eight games since the Spaniard upped sticks for Valencia.

Former fans' favourite Chris Brunt initially took temporary charge before last month's return of Tony Mowbray, who was named Corberan's permanent successor nearly 16 years after his first spell in the Baggies' hot-seat came to an end.

It has been a slow start for Mowbray, who has lost two of his three games back in charge, although his only home match to date ended in an emphatic 5-1 thrashing of poor travellers Portsmouth.

While that result was eye-catching, West Brom are likely to face a much sterner test of their credentials when upwardly-mobile Wednesday head to town.

Danny Rohl's Owls have plenty of incentive heading into Saturday's relatively short trip, as a victory will move them above their hosts and, temporarily at least, into the play-off places.

Confidence should certainly be high for Wednesday, who were 2-0 winners at Queens Park Rangers on their last away trip, with only the division's top four sides boasting a better away record in the second tier this season.

Wednesday have won six of 14 road fixtures, as many victories as Albion have managed on their own patch, and they will fancy their chances of gaining another positive result on their travels.

However, the double chance market may be where to go with this one, rather than backing Rohl's men outright, as West Brom have only lost one home league match all season, although half of their 14 league games at The Hawthorns have finished all-square.

Over 2.5 goals - 1/1

Wednesday are an entertaining team to watch under Rohl, with only four teams having scored more goals in the Championship than their total of 43 from 30 games.

The Owls have outscored their promotion-chasing city rivals Sheffield United as well as Burnley, but they have conceded 46 times, with only four teams - all situated in the bottom six - letting in more.

West Brom are not far behind Wednesday in the scoring stakes - netting 39 times - and that tally may grow now that Mowbray, a traditionally front-foot head coach, is in charge,

Albion certainly showed plenty of attacking verve when putting five past Portsmouth in their last home fixture and three of their last five matches across all competitions have featured over 2.5 goals.

That has also been a winning bet in six of Wednesday's nine matches since Boxing Day, and with four of the last five meetings between these two sides also featuring a minimum of three goals, Saturday's contest could follow suit.

Michael Smith to score at any time - 11/4

Michael Smith has only started nine Championship matches this season for Wednesday, but after coming off the bench to score in the last two games against Luton Town and QPR, he could be handed a chance from the off at The Hawthorns.

The former Rotherham United forward has only been outscored by Josh Windass, who has started 15 more league games than him, in the Wednesday squad this season and he will be a threat to a Baggies backline who are without a clean sheet since the departure of Corberan.

Smith has never scored in five previous career appearances against West Brom, three with Wednesday and two with Rotherham, but with his confidence high, he could break that duck and notch for the third match on the bounce.

Read more football betting tips and predictions on site.

West Brom v Sheffield Wednesday odds

West Brom - 21/20
Draw - 5/2
Sheffield Wednesday - 12/5

View the full market and more odds for West Brom v Sheffield Wednesday on site.

Read West Brom v Sheffield Wednesday how to watch, live stream, TV channel, kick-off time, head-to-head stats and more on site.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.