Southampton vs Sheffield Wed prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2024-01-12 15:00.
Manager Russell Martin and his Southampton players stand on the brink of club history as they prepare for the visit of Sheffield Wednesday. A 4-0 FA Cup third round win over Walsall last weekend means the Saints are on a run of 19 games without defeat across all competitions (W13, D6), just one match shy of their longest unbeaten run since joining the Football League in 1920.
An impressive 18 of those outings have come in the Championship (W12, D6), meaning Southampton have closed the gap to the automatic promotion places to just three points as they target an immediate return to the top-flight. They have also won eight in a row at home in the league and cup for the first time since late 2011, but Martin insists the best is yet to come from his squad, because there’s still “a lot of growth and improvement” for the players to make.
That’s a daunting message for visitors Sheffield Wednesday, who have lost five successive H2Hs and never won at St Mary’s (D2, L5). The Owls will be no pushovers themselves though, having finally found some form under new manager Danny Röhl, who has steered his side to three successes in a row across all competitions for the first time since May.
The German will now be looking to guide the Hillsborough outfit to three consecutive victories in the Championship for the first time since September 2018. Doing so could bridge the three-point gap between themselves and 21st-placed Huddersfield, but as they’ve not scored more than once in an away league game since August, a solid defence will be required as they travel to the south coast.
Players to watch: Formerly of Wednesday’s bitter rivals Sheffield United, Southampton striker Ché Adams has scored in each of his last three personal H2Hs, including an 87th-minute winner in this season’s reverse fixture on the opening day. Looking to out-gun him will be Josh Windass, who has not lost a league game in which he has netted in nearly two years (W10).
Hot stat: Sheffield Wednesday have only scored three second-half away goals this season, the lowest total in the Championship.