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Sheffield Wednesday and West Bromwich Albion will begin their pre-season preparations on Saturday, when they meet in a friendly at St George's Park.
The two sides met on the final day of the Championship season, with Sheffield Wednesday now preparing for League One after their relegation.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Sheffield Wednesday vs. West Bromwich Albion key stats
- Sheffield Wednesday won the last H2H 2-1 in the Championship in March.
- Sheffield Wednesday managed just two victories in the 2025-26 Championship season, scoring 29 goals and conceding 89.
- West Bromwich Albion went unbeaten for 10 games prior to the final day of the 2025-26 Championship season.
- Only three teams kept more Championship clean sheets than West Bromwich Albion (14) in the Championship last term.
Sheffield Wednesday vs. West Bromwich Albion preview: Replay of Championship's final day
Sheffield Wednesday vs West Bromwich Albion — Tale of the Tape
| Sheffield Wednesday | vs | West Bromwich Albion |
|---|---|---|
| 24th (Championship 2025-26) | Position | 21st (Championship 2025-26) |
| 0 | Points | 51 |
| 29 | Goals For | 48 |
| 89 | Goals Against | 58 |
| 4 | Clean Sheets | 14 |
| 24th | Home / Away Rank | 22nd |
Sheffield Wednesday head into their first pre-season friendly for 2026-27 in preparation for a League One campaign after their relegation, but with confidence around the club on the up.
They faced an unenviable 2025-26 term in the second tier, facing 18 points in deductions and finishing on 0 as they won just two games and lost 32 while conceding a league-high 89 goals and scoring a league-low 29.
The Owls have since undergone a takeover and can look forward to a fresh start, though, with all points deductions for League One cleared and with a positive summer of transfer business underway, after finishing 2025-26 with their first and only home triumph over Saturday's opponents, beating West Brom 2-1 at a rejuvenated Hillsborough to lift spirits.
Building on a thin squad from last year, they have added defenders Ricardo Santos and Sil Swinkels, midfielders Callum Slattery and Jordi Liongola and attackers Louie Barry and Harry Gray alongside returning legend Barry Bannan.
Slowly taking shape and with optimism around Hillsborough growing with the hopes of bouncing back to the Championship, Sheffield Wednesday will set out to make a winning start to pre-season.
Their opponents, meanwhile, narrowly avoided relegation of their own to League One and will hope to kick on under the permanent management of James Morrison.
He took caretaker charge in February, with West Bromwich Albion in a dangerous position around the drop zone, and led them to safety with a 10-game unbeaten run including four wins, which only ended in the final-day defeat to Sheffield Wednesday by which time their safety was guaranteed.
The season was certainly not a positive one for the Baggies, though, ending 21st on just 51 points, and they will set their sights on fighting at the right end of the table in the coming season, with defensive strength to build on having kept 14 clean sheets in a disappointing campaign – the fourth most in the division.
Having seen several experienced players depart while adding young attacking talent in Jimmy-Jay Morgan and Barney Stewart, West Bromwich Albion will go in search of an opening win on Saturday to avenge May's loss and get their preparations up and running ahead of the start of the new Championship term in August.
Sheffield Wednesday vs. West Bromwich Albion form guide & betting tips
| Sheffield Wednesday | vs | West Bromwich Albion |
|---|---|---|
D
D
L
L
W
|
Form |
D
W
W
D
L
|
| 4 | Goals For | 6 |
| 7 | Goals Against | 2 |
N/A |
Club Friendly | N/A |
Whispers predicts: Sheffield Wednesday 1-3 West Bromwich Albion
Sheffield Wednesday already look a different team to the one that struggled in the Championship last time around with fresh attacking options, while they may still be open with limited options and a new squad gelling. We expect Both Teams to Score.
West Bromwich Albion certainly boast more quality, though, despite the final-day defeat at Hillsborough, and with new attacking talent keen to impress, we back them to win the game to start pre-season.
As is often the case with friendlies, squads may be rotated heavily throughout, likely leaving defensive gaps for attacking ranks keen to impress to exploit and stake their claim to start in league games. We back over 4.5 goals in the game as somewhat of a longshot.
> Both Teams to Score | Likelihood: Probable
> West Bromwich Albion to win | Likelihood: Likely
> Over 4.5 goals | Likelihood: Possible