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

The Owls currently sit three points clear of second-placed Plymouth Argyle and five ahead of third-placed Ipswich Town with two games in hand on each after five straight league wins and an eye-catching unbeaten run, while their visitors will hope to strengthen their position in the top six.

Match preview

Sheffield Wednesday come into the weekend as the form side in England's third tier and arguably it's top four leagues, having now gone 22 league matches without a defeat since early October.

In that time, Darren Moore's side have put 16 wins on the board and amassed 54 points to move from third spot to pole position in the race for automatic promotion and the league title.

That includes 11 triumphs from the Owls' last 12 outings in the the third tier and five straight three-point hauls heading into Friday's game, after a six-match winning run was halted by a 2-2 draw away at fellow promotion-chasers Ipswich Town.

The South Yorkshire outfit had no issue in returning to winning ways and establishing themselves at the top of the division, firstly beating Morecambe and MK Dons before putting consecutive 1-0 triumphs on the board in their last three outings against Charlton Athletic, Peterborough United and Portsmouth, with Josh Windass's early goal making the only difference in a tough away trip to the latter last weekend.

Such an eye-catching run has seen Sheffield Wednesday increasingly strengthen their position in the fight for automatic promotion this season, and now with three-point lead over second-placed Plymouth Argyle and five-point lead over Ipswich Town outside of the top two, having played two games fewer than both, they will look to further boost their chances of climbing back to the Championship with a sixth straight victory on Friday.

They welcome a Bolton Wanderers side who have experienced a slight dip in form in their bid to fend off the chasing pack in the fight for playoff places, with the visitors currently sat sixth in League One.

After picking up six victories from a seven-match span in England's third tier between January and late February, the Trotters sat in a strong position in the top-six fight with 62 points on the board from 34 matches, but they have since failed add another notch to their wins column in three attempts, firstly being beaten 3-1 away at Portsmouth, despite leading through Dion Charles until the 70th minute.

Ian Evatt's side then met Morecambe and had to settle for a disappointing goalless draw, before most recently hosting third-placed Ipswich Town last weekend and coming away empty-handed, as George Hirst and Cameron Burgess netted goals in a 2-0 away triumph.

Following their slight dip in form, the Lancashire outfit have quickly dropped from fourth spot to sixth in League One, and while they sit three points ahead of Wycombe Wanderers who lead the chasing pack, the seventh-placed side do have a game in hand, and Bolton will be desperate to make a return to winning ways on Friday to extend their cushion again, albeit in a particularly difficult trip to the leaders.

Sheffield Wednesday League One form:

D

W

W

W

W

W

Bolton Wanderers League One form:

W

L

W

L

D

L

Bolton Wanderers form (all competitions):

L

W

W

L

D

L

Team News

Sheffield Wednesday fielded the same starting XI for each of their last three league games, but Darren Moore will be unable to do so for a fourth time in a row on Friday, as defender Dominic Iorfa will serve a suspension following his red card in the final 15 minutes of the victory away at Portsmouth.

In his absence, and with Michael Ihiekwe and Ben Heneghan still sidelined by injuries, Liam Palmer should move back into the back three alongside Aden Flint and Akin Famewo with Jack Hunt likely filling in in a right wing-back role.

Elsewhere, the midfield trio of George Byers, Will Vaulks and captain Barry Bannan is bound to remain unchanged, while Michael Smith should again lead the line alongside star man Josh Windass, who netted his 11th league goal of the season last weekend, having also contributed seven assists in the third tier.

Bolton Wanders will remain without attacker Jon Dadi Bodvarsson due to injury, although MJ Williams and George Johnston are both nearing returns from their layoffs and could feature in the squad at Hillsborough.

Their attack will be spearheaded by Dion Charles, who has netted 15 league goals for Evatt's side so far this season, while January arrival Victor Adeboyejo is yet to hit the ground running for the Trotters, having found the net once in seven third-tier appearances after hitting 11 in the first half of the campaign for Burton Albion.

Josh Sheehan and Kieran Lee are both vying to come into the midfield from the outset, after featuring off the bench last time out, although Aaron Morley and Kyle Dempsey are relative mainstays in the engine room, while Randell Williams, Cameron Jerome and Elias Kachunga are all vying for attacking spots around Charles.

Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:

Dawson; Palmer, Flint, Famewo; Hunt, Vaulks, Bannan, Byers, Brown; Smith, Windass

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Trafford; Toal, Santos, Mbete; Bradley, Morley, Dempsey, Jones; Shoretire; Adeboyejo, Charles

We say: Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Bolton Wanderers

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