Sheffield Wednesday host Middlesbrough on Friday night at Hillsborough in the first Championship game of the weekend. With Middlesbrough sitting in 4th place and Wednesday in 6th, this is a big game at the top of the league table. A win for the visitors would temporarily put them at the top of the table once more, putting pressure on the teams who play on Saturday. A win for Wednesday would bring them level on points with Middlesbrough, and move them closer to those that are setting the pace at the top including their city rivals Sheffield United.

Both of these teams have aspirations to challenge for promotion this season, and based on what we have seen so far they are more than capable of doing so. However, both teams will agree that things haven’t been perfect, and they do have areas of their game they need to work on. Middlesbrough set a fast pace at the start of the season alongside Leeds, but since then they have won just one of their last four games. Sheffield Wednesday did the opposite, they struggled at the start of the season, but they are now unbeaten in four and have climbed the table thanks to that run, something they will be looking to build on this week when we return to club action after the international break.

This game looks set to be one full of good quality play, we have two very good teams going head to head here, with plenty of skilled players on display. Both teams will fancy their chances and while this is by no means a must win game for either, the three points on offer will certainly help them move in the right direction up the table.

The Battle for Supremecy in Sheffield

For the past few seasons, we have seen Sheffield Wednesday dominate football in their city. For a period of time, Sheffield United found themselves in League One, but last year they returned to the Championship. They immediately showed that they deserve to be in the Championship, finishing mid-table and this summer they have really built on that. Although we are only in the early stages of the season, going into this weekend The Blades are top of the table and they are playing some great football.

The city of Sheffield has a distinct divide in it, you are either a Blade or an Owl, and the battle this season looks like it could be one of the best for many years. Not only do both teams look to be very evenly matched, but they also look to be very good Championship teams, capable of fighting it out at the top of the league. The Premier League is something that both of these clubs want, and something they have experienced before and I am sure it is a time that their fans will never forget.

The city loves its football, and there would be no better sight than seeing Wednesday and United battle it out, not only to see who is the best in the city, but also to gain promotion to the Premier League.

Consistency the Key for Middlesbrough Promotion Push

If there is one thing that Middlesbrough need to find this season then it is consistency. There is no doubt that they have a fantastic team, full of quality players and on there day they are one of the best teams in the league, if not the best. We also saw this last season, but someting they failed to do was perform well on a regular basis. This is something they have to put right if they want to challenge for promotion this season, the Championship is a tough league and you simply cannot afford to have too many off days in a league as competitive as this.

We have already seen a couple of different sides to Middlesbrough this season, they started on fire and set the early pace but in recent weeks they have slowed down, and that was there for all to see in their recent 2-0 home defeat against Nottigham Forest. While every team is allowed an off day and a poor performance, Middlesbrough had too many of them last season, and struggled to put together a run of good performances. This is needed in the Championship, and it is the main area they need to address going forward if they want to be considered as potential promotion candidates.

The lack of consistency is something that makes Middlesbrough one of the toughest teams to watch. The talent is there for all to see, but sometimes they just fail to put the required effort in. They don’t look to be too far off from challenging, but can they put everything in on a regular enough basis to rise to the top?

Sheffield Wednesday vs Middlesbrough Betting Tips

This looks set to be a very good game, between two very good teams on Friday night. Middlesbrough will go into the game knowing that a win here would put them at the top of the table until other teams play on Saturday, and that would certainly add some pressure to those games. Sheffield Wednesday are in a playoff spot right now, but only just and three points would move them closer to those at the top, and away from those challenging them for that final play off spot.

Wednesday have had a very tough run of games in recent weeks, but despite that they have remained unbeaten during that time. Wins against Aston Villa and Bristol City have come alongside draws to West Brom and Leeds, who are both above Wednesday in the standings right now. They are playing some very good football and competing with the best, something I think they are going to do again on Friday night.

In this game I am going to back Sheffield Wednesday to take advantage of their home field and the crowd behind them and take all three points from this game. There is no doubt that Middlesbrough are a quality team, but this is not an easy place to play and Wednesday are playing some very good football right now. The odds on offer with the bookmakers are surprising, this looks to be a 50/50 game to me, yet the home team Wednesday are available at a huge 3.50, which is far bigger than I was expecting.

This looks to be the game of the weekend in the Championship, and I am taking Sheffield Wednesday to win it in front of the live TV cameras.

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