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

Sheffield Wednesday and Wolverhampton Wanderers will do battle at Hillsborough on Tuesday with an EFL Cup third-round place up for grabs.

The visitors got past Port Vale in the prior round and have since made an unbeaten start to life in the Championship, while their hosts beat second-tier Bolton Wanderers to reach this stage.

Match preview

Sheffield Wednesday return to action at Hillsborough on Tuesday aiming to avenge a first defeat of the season last time around and again progress past second-tier opposition in the EFL Cup.

Despite being relegated on 0 points from the Championship last time around, having been deducted 18 for off-field issues and administration, they came into 2026-27, back in League One, with new ownership and the hopes of a fresh start.

They enjoyed a positive summer, making widescale additions to the thin squad which struggled through last term, and began with a pleasing 1-0 EFL Cup win thanks to Jamal Lowe's goal.

A winning start in the third tier then followed, as Henrik Pedersen's men beat Leyton Orient 2-1 with Callum Slattery and Lowe on the scoresheet, before they suffered a first defeat on Thursday, hosting Bradford City and coming away empty-handed as Aden Baldwin's second-half goal made the only difference.

Now facing their toughest test yet but with cause for optimism from their start to the campaign, Sheffield Wednesday will aim to bounce back and progress with a statement win on Tuesday.

Their visitors, meanwhile, will set out to continue an unbeaten start to life under Cesar Peixoto on Tuesday.

He replaced Rob Edwards as Wolverhampton Wanderers manager over the summer, following their relegation from the Premier League, with the task of leading a return to the top flight, and his first competitive game at the helm came against fourth-tier Port Vale in the EFL Cup first round.

They would cruise through with a 3-0 victory thanks to first-half goals from Adam Armstrong, Andre and Fer Lopez, but Peixoto's men did have to settle for a point in their first league game, leading Blackburn Rovers through Marshall Munetsi and falling 2-1 down before snatching a draw as Raul Jimenez converted a 93rd-minute penalty.

They did not have to wait long for a first three-point haul, though, visiting Preston North End at the weekend and winning 3-1 having led 3-0 through a Fer Lopez brace and an Adam Armstrong goal before Jordan Thompson scored a late consolation for the hosts.

Now up and running on all fronts having scored eight goals across their three competitive games under the new boss, Wolves will go in search of another win and dominant display on Tuesday to book their third-round place before hosting Stoke City on Saturday.

Sheffield Wednesday EFL Cup form:

Sheffield Wednesday form (all competitions):

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Wolverhampton Wanderers EFL Cup form:

Wolverhampton Wanderers form (all competitions):

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Team News

Sheffield Wednesday are without midfielder Tyler Onyango, who suffered an injury against Leyton Orient, while Jordi Liongola also missed their defeat to Bradford City and Di'Shon Bernard and George Brown remain sidelined.

Sil Swinkels may come back into the defence from the start, having been reduced to a substitute appearance last time out, while Ricardo Santos could earn a first start alongside him after seeing the start of his Owls career halted before appearing late on Thursday.

Hull City loanee Mason Burstow will also hope for an opportunity from the start up front, with Jamal Lowe having been preferred in their first two league games, while Barry Bannan could be afforded a rest in midfield.

Wolverhampton Wanderers face several injury issues early in 2026-27, with Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Rafiki Said sidelined while Kieran Trippier, Yerson Mosquera and Ladislav Krejci have all picked up injuries since the start of the campaign.

Peixoto may rotate somewhat from Saturday's win at Preston as he continues to assess his squad, and summer signing Jordan James could earn a first start in midfield with Tommy Doyle also hoping to get an opportunity from the outset.

Striker Raul Jimenez may drop out, allowing Adam Armstrong to lead the line after opening his account for the term at the weekend, while Fer Lopez could stay in to continue his hot streak having scored in the first round and netted a brace last time out.

Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:

Lumley; Palmer, Santos, Swinkels, M Lowe; Mitchell, Slattery; Morrison, Gray, Barry; Burstow

Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Johnstone; Lima, Bueno, Djiga, Wolfe; Doyle, Traore; Lopez, James, Mane; Armstrong

We say: Sheffield Wednesday 0-3 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Keen to continue a positive start under their new boss and build momentum, we see Wolverhampton Wanderers overwhelming their hosts on Tuesday and cruising through to the third round of the EFL Cup.

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