EFL League One preview and tip: Sheffield Wednesday take promotion charge to Oxford
- George Dempsey
- 5 April 2023
Oxford United find themselves in an unimaginable relegation battle when they welcome League One leaders Sheffield Wednesday to the Kassam Stadium on Friday.
Key Stats
Oxford United are winless in their last 12 games
Oxford have lost seven of their last eight at home
Sheffield Wednesday have won nine of 11 against the bottom six
The Owls have kept a clean sheet in eight of those games
Suggested Bets:
Sheffield Wednesday over 1.5 goals
Verdict
Oxford United are in freefall. The U's have picked up three points in their last 12 games, failing to win any of them. Five straight defeats at home, including a dismal 3-0 loss to rivals Bristol Rovers, have left them teetering.
Cambridge United (33), Morecambe (34), and Accrington Stanley (35) are all within striking distance of Oxford now, who sit just outside of the relegation zone on 38 points.
It's starting to feel like Accrington vs Oxford on the final day of the League One season could see the losing team relegated, but there are still seven precious opportunities to pick up points between now and then.
The first of those is the visit of Sheffield Wednesday and although it sounds a tough ask, the Owls have failed to win any of their last five games. Before that they had won five straight.
Despite that dip in form, three draws have been enough to keep them at the top of the table. Plymouth, Ipswich, and Barnsley have all won at least four of their last five games to pile on the pressure.
Now would be the perfect time to find their feet again and if you couple Oxford's dire form with Wednesday's previous, it does look more likely than the odds suggest. In fact, nearly even money looks like a gift.
Wednesday have won nine of their 11 games against teams currently in the bottom six. They've kept a clean sheet in eight of those, and have beaten MK Dons, Morecambe, Cambridge, and Accrington on their travels.
The 1-0 loss to Forest Green was probably a low point in the season, and arguably Green's greatest-ever result, but with automatic promotion currently out of their hands, it seems unlikely they'll slip up again here.
- George Dempsey also provides MLS tips as MLS Betting UK 2023 on Tipstrr
