Sheff Wed vs Preston predictions: Lilywhites to bounce back at Hillsborough
Ross Kilvington
Sheff Wed have won just a single Championship game this season
Preston are sixth in the table despite a run of three games without a win
Recommended bet: Preston to win
Sheff Wed will have to start planning for life in League One as the Owls were docked 12 points for entering administration back in October.
Administrators are trying to identify potential bidders for the club and hope to have someone take over by the end of next week. The Owls did, however, seal the signing of winger Nathan Redmond.
Preston have not won since the start of November, but they do remain in the play-off places after a strong start to the season and a win at Hillsborough could move them further up the Championship table this weekend.
The latest Sheff Wed vs Preston odds are available at LiveScore Bet
Team news
If entering administration was not already bad enough, the Owls have a major injury crisis to deal with.
George Brown, Pierce Charles, Di'Shon Bernard, Nathaniel Chalobah and Ernie Weaver continue to be absent.
Dominic Iorfa is also suspended for the clash against Preston, but they will be boosted by the arrival of Redmond.
North End also have plenty of injuries to deal with, as Robbie Brady, Lewis Gibson, Brad Potts, Andrija Vukcevic, Ali McCann and Harrison Armstrong remain sidelined this weekend.
Striker Milutin Osmajic is still serving a suspension and is not available to feature at Hillsborough.
The stats
These two clubs have met on a regular basis over the years, with 16 meetings occurring since the start of the 2015/16 season.
Preston have won seven of those encounters, with the Owls claiming six wins and last season, the Deepdale side sealed four points from six across the two meetings.
They won 3-1 at home, while drawing 1-1 in Sheffield.
Preston boast one of the meanest defences in the Championship, conceding only 17 goals in as many matches. This ranks as the joint third-best in the division.
They could be more prolific going forward, averaging only 1.3 goals per game, but this should improve against a poor Wednesday side.
Not only do the Owls have the worst attacking record in the second tier (12 goals), but they have already conceded 33 goals in 17 matches, working out at nearly two per game.
Only three players have scored more than once this campaign for Wednesday, whereas six have scored three or more for the away side this term.
The latest Sheff Wed vs Preston odds are available at LiveScore Bet
Prediction
It is a matter of when, not if, Wednesday suffer the fate of relegation back down to the League One after a torrid campaign to date.
Preston, on the other hand, have performed above expectations so far this season and could move into the automatic promotion places if they can return to winning ways this weekend.
The Owls will put up a good fight, but expect the visitors to emerge with all three points from Hillsborough.
