Despite amassing 96 points to finish third in League One, Sheffield Wednesday missed out on automatic promotion, but the Owls are hoping to put things right at Wembley in their play-off final with Yorkshire rivals Barnsley.

Aaron Ashley's Barnsley v Sheffield Wednesday Tips

Barnsley to be promoted @ 13/10 
Both teams to score @ 10/11 

Odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and subject to fluctuation.

Setting the scene…..

Having fallen short in the League One play-offs last season, Sheffield Wednesday are bidding to overcome that hurdle at the expense of Barnsley. 

The Owls are unfortunate to find themselves in the play-offs after securing a club record 96-point haul, although may only have themselves to blame after failing to win seven of their final 12 third-tier fixtures. 

Darren Moore's side also pulled off a minor miracle in their play-off semi-final, winning 5-1 in their second leg with Peterborough at Hillsborough to overcome the 4-0 deficit they had dug themselves at London Road. 

Barnsley finished fourth in the regular season, ten points behind Yorkshire rivals Wednesday, but are seeking an immediate return to the Championship after last season's relegation. 

Michael Duff has done a remarkable job in his first season at Oakwell and confidence should be high for the Tykes after their 2-1 aggregate success over Bolton in the semi-finals.

Barnsley to be promoted @ 13/10

Sheffield Wednesday may have finished ten points clear of Barnsley in League One this season but the Tykes were still coming to terms with Championship relegation early on in the campaign. 

They soon settled under Duff and eased into the play-off places by winning 20 of their final 31 games. 

The Owls may be feeling pretty invincible after pulling off what was seemingly mission impossible against Posh, overhauling a 4-0 first-leg deficit to book their ticket to Wembley. 

But there is no doubt that Wednesday's levels have dropped over the last couple of months and they ultimately missed out on automatic promotion because they failed to win seven of their final 12 matches. 

The Tykes also completed a league double over Wednesday this season, winning 2-0 at Hillsborough in September before an entertaining 4-2 victory at Oakwell in March, which ended the 23-match unbeaten run of their South Yorkshire rivals. 

And in Duff, Barnsley have a manager going places and one that may be more tactically aware in the dugout than his opposing number, Moore.

Aaron Ashley's Tip:

Barnsley have twice had Sheffield Wednesday's measure this season and at 13/10 they look too big to achieve promotion at the Owls' expense. Wednesday produced a remarkable fightback in their semi-final to overhaul Peterborough, but they are less reliable than the Tykes.

Both teams to score at 10/11

Play-off finals tend to be cagey contests due to the high stakes but with so much attacking talent on show, there may be value in backing this promotion decider to be a free-scoring encounter. 

The most recent meeting between these sides saw Barnsley prevail 4-2 in a thriller at Oakwell in March, a fixture that saw both teams score in each half and a total of 30 shots. 

Barnsley's attacking options include Devante Cole, James Norwood and Adam Phillips, who all hit double figures this season, while Wednesday have 20-goal Michael Smith and 15-goal Josh Windass spearheading their frontline. 

That makes both teams to score a value bet at 10/11, especially given Wednesday, who had the second best defence in League One this season, have managed only three clean sheets in their last 14 matches. 

The net has bulged at both ends in eight of those fixtures and the trend is likely to continue against a forward-thinking Barnsley outfit, who have failed to score in only three of their last 16 outings. 

The Owls, meanwhile, have fired blanks in only two of their last 20 matches so should give their army of supporters something to cheer about at Wembley. 

Barnsley's 1-0 win over Bolton in the second leg of their play-off semi-final was also their first clean sheet in five.

Aaron Ashley's Tip:

There is a lot of firepower at both teams' disposal so much so that it is tough to see either side recording a clean sheet at Wembley. 

It was 4-2 to Barnsley in the most recent encounter and, despite the stakes, this contest could be as equally entertaining with both teams fancied to get on the scoresheet at 10/11.

Aaron Ashley's Barnsley v Sheffield Wednesday Tips

Barnsley to be promoted @ 13/10 
Both teams to score @ 10/11 

Odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and subject to fluctuation.

Aaron Ashley

• Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
• Barnsley F.C.
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