Friday 20th January 2016 Kickoff: 1945hrs Brighton v Sheffield Wednesday Football – England – Championship Friday sees a repeat of last season’s Championship playoff semi final between Brighton and Sheffield Wednesday at the Amex Stadium. Despite finishing above Wednesday last season, the Seagulls agonizingly lost out on a trip to Wembley and will be looking for some element of revenge this time around. Both teams come into the game with renewed hopes of reaching the Premier League next year making the three points absolutely invaluable.
Brighton not only missed out on a playoff final to earn a shot for promotion but they also were narrowly denied automatic promotion on the final day of the regular season. Those near missed will have made the team even more motivated to succeed this season and they are certainly going the right way about it. With a game in hand over leaders Newcastle, Brighton are one point adrift in second spot. They had been leading the way themselves until last weekend’s surprise defeat to Preston North End. That loss was the team’s first since the middle of September and brought an end to an 18 game unbeaten run. It’s indicative of how resilient this team have become and that can partly be attributed to their heartbreak from 12 months ago. Whilst a place in the top six looks virtually assured, there’s no doubting that all concerned with the club will be looking to avoid the drama of the playoffs this season and going all out to get one of those top two spots.
Sheffield Wednesday for something of a surprise package last season as they made it all the way to the playoff final at Wembley in May. They came up just short to local rivals Hull but the first half of this season has show that it was anything but a fluke. The Owls occupy sixth spot – the final playoff position – and are making a good attempt at back to back finishes in the end of season zone. With a five point lead over Derby who sit directly below them, they have some breathing room but in reality it’s nothing in a league such as the Championship. They head to Brighton on Friday in the middle of a good run of their own having won four and drawn to of their last six league games but will have to be at their very best against arguably the most impressive team in the league this season. However, having pulled off a surprise at this stadium back in May there is absolutely no reason why the Owls cannot do something similar on Friday.
Brighton v Sheffield Wednesday Betting Tips
This is a really intriguing matchup, not least because it pits two of the best backlines in the Championship against each other. No team has conceded fewer than Brighton (17) whilst Derby are the only other team to have a better defensive record than the visitors (24). The other side of that, however, is quite telling as the home team have managed 10 more goals in one fewer game than their opponents.
The defeat last week would have been a shock to the system for these Brighton players nearly four months after their last and it’s about how they react to that loss. It will not be easy for them coming up against a very determined and will drilled team but it’s the extra firepower that the hosts possess which may just see them over the line. Good teams respond following adversity and I’ve not seen any evidence to indicate that this Brighton team is anything but that with their performances since that disappointment last May. Home win.
