Preview: Sheffield Wednesday vs Bolton Wanderers - prediction, team news, lineups

After swapping places in the English pyramid last season, Sheffield Wednesday and Bolton Wanderers will kick off 2026-27 in an EFL Cup tie on Saturday.

The hosts are gearing up for life in League One after relegation last time around, while their visitors sealed a return to the Championship through the playoffs.

Match preview

Sheffield Wednesday play their first competitive game of the new season on Saturday after a season to forget but with optimism and a fresh start in League One.

Facing an uphill battle from the start with a heavily limited squad, administration and hefty points deductions, the Owls finished bottom having got back to 0 points, winning just two of their 46 games and losing 32 while scoring a league-low 29 goals and conceding a league-high 89.

That term ended on a relative high, though, recording a first home win on the final day and celebrating an exit from administration and new ownership, who have stuck with manager Henrik Pedersen and overseen a positive summer with a long list of encouraging arrivals as they set their sights on a League One promotion bid.

Pedersen's men have faced a mixed pre-season, beating second-tier Preston North End before drawing against Accrington Stanley and ending in a 4-0 away defeat to Oldham Athletic.

The Owls now head into a first competitive outing looking to get up and running and progress in the EFL Cup to kick off their fresh start.

Their visitors, meanwhile, will go in search of a cup win to begin their new season after a memorable 2025-26 campaign.

In their fifth consecutive season in League One, Bolton Wanderers ended the regular term in fifth spot under Steven Schumacher, having earned 75 points from their 46 outings courtesy of 19 victories alongside just nine defeats.

That set up a playoff semi-final with Millwall, and the Trotters progressed with a 1-0 win in each leg, before taking on Stockport County in the final at Wembley and sealing promotion in style with a 4-1 triumph as Ruben Rodrigues netted a brace alongside a Kyle Wootton own goal and a Sam Dalby finish.

They have since undergone a summer of preparation for their return to the second tier, making several additions while winning two and drawing two of five pre-season friendlies, most recently taking on NAC Breda last Saturday and winning as Rodrigues netted the only goal.

With preparations now complete and the season set to kick off, Bolton Wanderers will hope to get started with a cup victory before starting in the Championship next week.

Sheffield Wednesday form (all competitions):

L D W D L

Bolton Wanderers form (all competitions):

L W D D W

Team News

Sheffield Wednesday head into 2026-27 with a much-improved squad from the one that struggled last year, with Pierce Charles, Dominic Iorfa, Nathaniel Chalobah and Svante Ingelsson among those to depart.

The summer has been headlined by the return of talisman Barry Bannan and the arrivals of the likes of Sil Swinkels, Ricardo Santos, Callum Slattery, Jordi Liongola, Billy Mitchell, Harry Gray, Louie Barry and Mason Burstow.

Bannan, Slattery and Mitchell will all hope to start in the engine room, while Barry may be lined up to be a key man on the wing and could flank either Burstow or Jamal Lowe.

Bolton Wanderers should field a similar starting XI from last week's final friendly as they gear up for the Championship campaign.

Summer signings Ben Davies and Akin Famewo both starting in defence against NAC Breda and should continue alongside Chris Forino-Joseph, although Eoin Toal and Max Conway will compete to come in.

Sam Dalby and John McAtee will compete to lead the line, while Ruben Rodrigues has starred going forward in recent months, scoring four times in pre-season after netting the crucial brace in the playoff final.

Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:

Lumley; Palmer, Santos, Swinkels, M Lowe; Mitchell, Slattery; Barry, Bannan, McNeill; Burstow

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Bonham; Stephenson, Forino-Joseph, Davies, Famewo; Sheehan, Simons; Gale, Rodrigues, Dong; Dalby

We say: Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Bolton Wanderers

Sheffield Wednesday do look improved ahead of the 2026-27 term, but their pre-season results suggest they may take time to get up and running, and we back a Bolton team with momentum from last year to progress at Hillsborough.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.