Sheffield Wednesday vs Cardiff City prediction 23.12.2023.

• Competition: Championship
• Date: Saturday, 23rd December 2023
• Kickoff: 15:00 UK / 16:00 CET
• Venue: Hillsborough (Sheffield)

Last season, Sheffield Wednesday gained promotion back to the Championship throughout the playoffs. We witnessed one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the game when the Owls managed to overcome a 4:0 deficit from the first game and eventually win vs Peterborough. However, the Owls had a rough start in the Championship and were the last-placed team for most of the season. But now, with three wins in the last four games, Sheffield Wednesday have started to wake up, and even though they are still in the danger zone (23rd), they have something to build on and hope they can reach the safe zone, which is six points away.

Since getting relegated from the Premier League in the 2018/19 season, Cardiff's results in the Championship have constantly declined. Last season, they finished 21st but stayed in the league only because Reading had a six-point deduction. This year, the Bluebirds started the season well, but the last few games are a reason for concern as they lost four of the previous five and are now in 12th place with 30 points, six away from the playoffs. 

Sheffield Wednesday vs Cardiff pick: Sheffield Wednesday to win

Sheffield Wednesday seemed to found its rhythm as they won three of the last four games while scoring seven goals - 1.75 per game. Considering they averaged 0.5 goals per game before that four-game period, the improvement is more than evident. Now, the game vs struggling Cardiff is the perfect opportunity to continue with good results. 

Cardiff are in totally different momentum with four losses in the last five games and a 1:7 goal difference. Looking only at the last five games, Cardiff are among the worst teams in the league, only above Stoke, Millwall, and Rotherham. Also, away from home, Cardiff were far from impressive throughout the season as they lost six of 11 games - 55%.

In the first h2h game this season, back in August, Cardiff won 2:1 at home in a very even game where Cardiff secured a win from the penalty spot in the 98th minute. Now, with a massive difference in form and a home-pitch advantage, we believe that Sheffield Wednesday are much closer to winning the upcoming game.