Preview: Sheffield Wednesday vs Stockport County - prediction, team news, lineups

Sheffield Wednesday will welcome Stockport County to Hillsborough on Saturday in search of a return to winning ways to strengthen their position at the top of the League One table.

The hosts had to settle for a draw last weekend after three straight wins, while their visitors dropped to eighth spot with a defeat last time out.

Match preview

Sheffield Wednesday will aim to continue their strong start to the League One season on Saturday in their return to action at Hillsborough.

After a 2025-26 season to forget, being relegated on 0 points due to administration, and a fresh start over the summer with new ownership and ambitions for an immediate return to the second tier, they currently top the third tier having earned 13 points from their first six matches.

The Owls have impressed at both ends of the pitch, with only one team topping their 13 goals while just two have conceded fewer than the six they have allowed, albeit with their first league clean sheet of the season coming at the sixth time of asking last weekend.

On the back of that solitary defeat to Bradford City in their second game, Henrik Pedersen's side put together consecutive wins over Bromley, Wycombe Wanderers and Peterborough United, scoring 11 goals in those, before hosting Wigan Athletic last Saturday and settling for a share of the points as they played out a goalless stalemate.

Still with plenty of positives to take from their start to the season, having quickly put last season behind them and focussed on a promotion bid, Sheffield Wednesday will look to bounce back and take all three points at the weekend.

In their way stand a visiting side keen to rejoin the Owls at the top end of the division after a setback last time out.

Stockport County underwent a summer of change on the back of a second consecutive third-placed League One finish and playoff defeat last time around, replacing two-time promotion winner Dave Challinor with new manager Jimmy McNulty.

From his first six league games at the helm, the Hatters have managed three victories alongside three defeats, scoring a league-high tally of 16 goals in the process while conceding 10.

In the victories, two of which came away from home, McNulty's side notched up 12 goals and only conceded two, most recently thrashing Wigan Athletic 4-0 away from home, before they hosted Leicester City at the weekend and fell 4-1 down before coming within one goal of sharing the points as Ollie Norwood and Kyle Wootton reduced the deficit to 4-3 in the second half.

With positives to take from that spirited display in defeat, but cause for concern elsewhere having conceded 10 goals and not yet recorded consecutive league wins, Stockport County will go in search of a statement win at Hillsborough and make it three away victories for the season in League One in the hopes of putting a more consistent run together to establish themselves as frontrunners.

Sheffield Wednesday League One form:

Sheffield Wednesday form (all competitions):

Stockport County League One form:

Stockport County form (all competitions):

Team News

Sheffield Wednesday continue to contend with a long injury list, with defender Di'Shon Bernard still not yet fit to join the first team while Sil Swinkels, Max Lowe, Tyler Onyango, Jordi Liongola, George Brown and Louie Barry should also remain sidelined.

Ricardo Santos returned from an injury layoff last time out and should again partner Liam Cooper in the middle of the defence, while returning Reece James will continue at left-back in Lowe's absence.

Pedersen has the option to make changes in attack, with Kieran Morrison, Jamal Lowe and Mason Burstow having started at the weekend while Ali Al-Hamadi, Harry Gray and Davis Keillor-Dunn will compete to come in, while Barry Bannan, Callum Slattery and Billy Mitchell should all keep their places with Slattery having shifted out to the left-hand side last time out.

Stockport County are still unable to call on defender Brad Hills and attacker Adama Sidibeh, both of whom have missed the start of the season through injury.

The Hatters may be unchanged from last week's narrow defeat to Leicester, with McNulty likely to keep trust in the back three of Kyron Gordon, Eoghan O'Connell and Ethan Pye.

Lewis Bate and Ollie Norwood are mainstays in midfield, while front man Kyle Wootton has already scored five goals in seven games this season after hitting 20 in League One last time around, with wingers Jack Diamond and Harry Wood having also scored four and three of their own respectively in the league.

Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:

Lumley; Valery, Santos, Cooper, James; Bannan, Mitchell; Morrison, Keillor-Dunn, Slattery; J Lowe

Stockport County possible starting lineup:

Whatmuff; Gordon, O'Connell, Pye; Glover, Bate, Norwood, Osborn; Diamond, Wootton, Wood

We say: Sheffield Wednesday 3-2 Stockport County

Stockport County's season thus far has been denied by inconsistency and eventful matches, and while we certainly see them causing problems for the hosts, we fancy Sheffield Wednesday to prevail in a high-scoring encounter.

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