Sheffield Wednesday vs Charlton Athletic Match Preview

Sheffield Wednesday face Charlton Athletic at Hillsborough Stadium in a meeting between two sides that are struggling lately.

Home team

Sheffield Wednesday have been in freefall in recent weeks, actually, they have picked up just 3 points from their last 7 games. On January 11th the entered into the playoff zone, however, since that win 1-0 over Leeds United at Elland Road, Sheffield Wednesday remain winless and they are now 11 points below sixth-placed Preston.

The loss of their top scorer S. Fletcher coincided with their vertical decline, however, the Scotland international attacker returned last weekend and played a few minutes as a substitute. Now, he is ready for his first start since early January.

Midfielder M. Luongo remains doubtful. Elsewhere, A. Reach and M. Odubajo are definitely out due to their injuries.

Away team

Charlton, on the other hand, are quite improved lately, having 3 wins in their last 5 Championship matches. However, they remain in danger of the drop, having just 5 points more than the relegation-placed Wigan and the upcoming fixtures against some of their immediate rivals are crucial.

They are coming from a home win, 3-1 win over bottom-placed Luton Town. Before that, their away win 1-0 to Nottingham Forest was the one that made sense. They have managed in total three wins away from home (3-4-9) this season.

Charlton are still without key midfielders D. Pratley and J. Williams as they continue to struggle with their injuries. S. Field, L. Page and J. Leko are also unavailable for this one.

Prediction

The winless run of Sheffield Wednesday since early January has damaged their promotion chances. At the same time, Charlton need more points to secure their Championship spot for one more season.

I cannot wager my money to a side that is winless for one and a half month (0-3-3), let alone when they face an improved lately Charlton, a side that struggle for points. The away win is overpriced for me and I am willing to risk.