Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
Hungary
Lithuania
Nigeria
South Korea
United Arab Emirates

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

sportsmole.co.uk, 10 May 2023, 12:58
After finishing sixth and third respectively in League One, Peterborough United and Sheffield Wednesday will kick off their playoff semi-final tie on Friday in a contest at the Weston Homes Stadium.

In the regular season, the Owls finished 19 points better off than their hosts, who managed to climb back into the top six on the final day, thanks to the Owls' beating of Derby County.

Match preview

Peterborough United will head into the playoffs on somewhat of a high, having sneaked back into sixth place on the final day of the regular League One season after previously dropping out.

Following Darren Ferguson's return to the club as manager at the beginning of the new Year, the Posh have collected 42 points from their remaining 22 games in England's third tier, and they successfully climbed into the top six with a positive run of four wins from a five-match span across March and April.

After those results fired them up to fifth place with five games to go, Ferguson's men were unable to sustain the fine form and quickly dropped back out of pole position in the playoff race as 2-0 and 3-0 defeats to Cambridge United and Ipswich Town respectively followed, either side of a victory over Accrington Stanley, before a disappointing draw with Bristol Rovers left them two points behind sixth-placed Derby County heading into the final round of fixtures on Sunday.

With the Rams also boasting the slightly better goal difference ahead of their meeting with Sheffield Wednesday, the Posh required a favour from the Owls and a victory of their own in a tough test away at fourth-placed Barnsley, but they would defy the odds and sneak back into the final playoff place, as Derby fell to a 1-0 defeat at Hillsborough while Peterborough enjoyed a much more successful trip to South Yorkshire with Jonson Clarke-Harris and Jack Taylor on the scoresheet in a 2-0 triumph.

Now still having a chance of making an immediate return to the Championship following their relegation last term, the Posh will hope to carry momentum from that dramatic final-day success into Friday and make the most of home advantage to go ahead in their tricky semi-final tie.

They take on a Sheffield Wednesday side who had their sights set on the automatic promotion places throughout the campaign and occupied a spot in the top two until the beginning of April thanks to a 23-game league unbeaten run between October and mid-March.

The Owls would eventually be overtaken by both Plymouth Argyle and Ipswich Town, as that streak was followed by a six-game unbeaten run in which they managed just four points, leaving them chasing for the final six outings of the regular season.

A 3-0 beating of Accrington Stanley was then followed by a harmful 3-2 defeat away at Burton Albion, before four straight wins were not enough to narrow the deficit to the relentless top two, as they put up triumphs over Bristol Rovers, Exeter City and Shrewsbury Town before beating Derby County 1-0 on the final day on Sunday courtesy of Michael Smith's first-half penalty.

With Plymouth and Ipswich not letting up, Darren Moore's side remained confined to a third-placed finish, despite picking up an eye-catching tally of 96 points, more than any side who have gone up from England's third tier automatically in second spot since Blackburn Rovers in the 2017-18 term.

While they will feel somewhat disappointed with the strong season not rewarded with an automatic climb back to the Championship, having managed 28 triumphs over the course of the campaign, the Owls have at least rebuilt plenty of momentum ahead of the playoffs with their four straight wins and will hope to build on that on Friday with a positive result in the away leg before welcoming Peterborough to Hillsborough next week.

Peterborough United League One form:

W

L

W

L

D

W

Sheffield Wednesday League One form:

W

L

W

W

W

W

Team News

Following their final-day triumph under pressure away at Barnsley on Sunday, Darren Ferguson should deploy an unchanged Peterborough United starting XI for the first leg of their playoff semi-final tie in their preferred 4-2-3-1 setup, with Jonson Clarke-Harris again bound to lead the line after moving joint-top of the league's scoring charts with his 26th of the season at Oakwell.

There is plenty of quality in the supporting trio behind the talismanic forward too, with Ephron Mason-Clark having contributed nine goals and eight assists in League One from the left flank, while Jack Taylor has also starred in a central role with eight goals and five assists of his own in the third tier.

Behind them, Hector Kyprianou will again join Ollie Norburn in the engine room, while centre-backs Ronnie Edwards and Frankie Kent have been key men throughout the season and will continue their partnership at the heart of the back four.

Darren Moore has recently seen his defensive options boosted by the return of Michael Ihiekwe from a long-term injury, while midfielder George Byers remains sidelined alongside forward Mallik Wilks.

Ihiekwe will fight with the likes of Aden Flint, Jaden Brown and Dominic Iorfa for places in the back three, with Liam Palmer and Marvin Johnson set to continue in wing-back roles, while Will Vaulks will play an important role alongside star man Barry Bannan in the midfield.

Michael Smith will lead the line, after hitting his 20th league goal of the season in the win over Derby, with Josh Windass also likely to come back in from the outset, while Lee Gregory remains a doubt after missing Sunday's contest.

Peterborough United possible starting lineup:

Norris; Ward, Kent, Edwards, Burrows; Norburn, Kyprianou; Poku, Taylor, Mason-Clark; Clarke-Harris

Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:

Dawson; Iorfa, Flint, Ihiekwe; Palmer, Bannan, Vaulks, Johnson; Windass; Smith, Paterson

We say: Peterborough United 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday

Previews by email
Show more

Top News

21 March 2025 talksport.com Myles Lewis-Skelly was the star of the show on his England debut as his goal helped new boss Thomas Tuchel get off to a winning start. 21 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arne Slot could lose a number of forwards in the summer transfer window but may also be boosted by the arrival of additions, Reds transfer expert David Lynch has claimed. 21 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Thomas Tuchel started his England tenure with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Albania in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. 21 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Turkey will hope to maintain their first-leg lead and advance into League A of the UEFA Nations League on Sunday when they travel to Puskas Arena to take on Hungary. 21 March 2025 talksport.com Myles Lewis-Skelly created England history by becoming the youngest player to score on their senior debut for the national team. 21 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Canada can earn their second medal at the CONCACAF Nations League on Sunday when they take on the USA at SoFi Stadium in California. 21 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk England debutant Myles Lewis-Skelly wrote a new page of Three Lions history with his opening goal in Friday's World Cup 2026 qualifier against Albania. 21 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Leicester City Women will continue their Women's Super League survival bid when they face Brighton & Hove Albion Women in Sunday's clash at the King Power Stadium. 21 March 2025 talksport.com Jude Bellingham has moved ahead of Wayne Rooney in the England record books by earning his latest cap against Albania. 21 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Iceland and Kosovo will complete their UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation playoff tie on Sunday, when they meet at the Estadio Nueva Condomina in Spain. 21 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United defender Ayden Heaven could reportedly resume training with the Red Devils shortly after the international break, with the issue that he suffered against Leicester City last weekend not believed to be serious. 21 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Pau Cubarsi has returned to Barcelona after suffering an ankle injury in Spain's UEFA Nations League quarter-final first leg against Netherlands on Thursday night. 21 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United Women will welcome Tottenham Hotspur Women to the Chigwell Construction Stadium for Sunday's Women's Super League clash. 21 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk England boss Thomas Tuchel has named his first starting lineup as Three Lions boss for Friday's World Cup 2026 qualifier against Albania. 21 March 2025 talksport.com Riccardo Calafiori has reportedly given Arsenal a major boost with his knee injury not claimed to be serious. 21 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson is reportedly set to hold 'crunch talks' with the Reds hierarchy over his future at the end of the season. 21 March 2025 talksport.com Follow all the action as Thomas Tuchel takes charge of his first game as England manager against Albania, live on talkSPORT. 21 March 2025 talksport.com Follow all the action as Thomas Tuchel takes charge of his first game as England manager against Albania, live on talkSPORT. 21 March 2025 talksport.com England made a winning start to life under Thomas Tuchel on Friday night as they beat Albania 2-0 at Wembley. 21 March 2025 talksport.com Chelsea's first opponents at this summer's Club World Cup have been expelled from the competition, FIFA has announced. 21 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have reportedly learned how long Riccardo Calafiori will be out for with a knee injury following the defender's withdrawal from the Italy squad. 21 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Ruben Amorim has been told that Brighton & Hove Albion winger Kaoru Mitoma has the quality to play for Manchester United. 21 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have confirmed that Alisson Becker has pulled out of the Brazil squad after the goalkeeper suffered a worrying injury scare against Colombia. 21 March 2025 talksport.com There were huge smiles at Wembley commentary with Stuart Pearce returning to action after his heart scare. 21 March 2025 talksport.com A brand new football competition begins next week as some of the sport's legends combine with famous faces for six-a-side action. 21 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk England head coach Thomas Tuchel made the right decision not to call up Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri, but the 18-year-old is still a safe bet for the 2026 World Cup squad, expert Charles Watts believes. 21 March 2025 talksport.com Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he and Georgina Rodriguez are not currently married despite huge speculation. 21 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur could reportedly come forward with a 'super offer' to sign Sporting Lisbon hotshot Viktor Gyokeres in the summer transfer window. 21 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Premier League giants Manchester City will reportedly attempt to sign Swedish starlet Roony Bardghji from Copenhagen. 21 March 2025 talksport.com Lee Carsley is back in his role as England Under-21 head coach and his strong Young Lions squad take on France tonight.