Preview: Sunderland vs. Sheffield Wednesday - prediction, team news, lineups

Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday will both be protecting lengthy unbeaten runs when they meet at the Stadium of Light on Thursday evening.

The Black Cats are currently second in the League One table, while the Owls are two points off the playoffs in eighth place.

Match preview

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Sunderland moved into the automatic promotion spots in League One with a 3-0 away win at Doncaster Rovers on Monday.

Ross Stewart's penalty, Elliot Embleton's strike and an own goal from Ben Blythe gave the Black Cats a comfortable victory and saw them move to within one point of leaders Rotherham United.

Lee Johnson's side are unbeaten in their last eight league matches and they have only lost once at the Stadium of Light in League One this season.

No team in the third tier have picked up more points on home turf in 2021-22 than Sunderland, who have taken 28 from a possible 33 on Wearside. They have also conceded just six goals in their 11 home league games, the fewest in the division.

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Sheffield Wednesday have the third best defence in League One having let in only 21 goals, so this game could be a low-scoring affair.

The Owls' last two fixtures have been postponed, meaning they last played on December 11 when they won 2-0 away at Crewe Alexandra with goals from Barry Bannan and Lee Gregory.

Darren Moore's team have not lost in their last 12 league matches, although seven of those have been draws.

Furthermore, they are on an eight-game unbeaten run away from home and have only lost twice on the road this season.

Wednesday won 3-0 against Sunderland earlier in the campaign through goals from Theo Corbeanu, Florian Kamberi and Gregory; their third successive victory over the Black Cats.

Team News

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Aiden O'Brien missed Sunderland's win over Doncaster Rovers as he tested positive for COVID-19, so is likely to be out again.

Carl Winchester was also absent for the game after picking up a knock in training the day before, but Lee Johnson does not expect the midfielder to be out for too long.

Johnson has confirmed that Everton loanee Nathan Broadhead will be sidelined with a hamstring injury for a minimum of three months, so Ross Stewart should continue as a lone striker up front.

Massimo Luongo is unavailable for Sheffield Wednesday as he serves the second game of a three-match suspension.

The Owls' extended break from action has allowed Chey Dunkley to return to fitness and he should be back in the matchday squad.

Josh Windass has spent most of the season on the sidelines but has two goals in three league games, so will be pushing for a start.

Sunderland possible starting lineup:

Hoffmann; Wright, Flanagan, Doyle; Dajaku, Neil, Evans, Gooch; Pritchard, Embleton; Stewart

Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:

Peacock-Farrell; Brennan, Palmer, Johnson; Wing; Hunt, Dele-Bashiru, Bannan, Corbeanu; Paterson, Gregory

We say: Sunderland 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday

With both teams harbouring promotion ambitions and proving hard to beat in recent weeks, this should be a fascinating encounter. It will be a tightly-contested affair and we cannot separate them, so predict a draw.