Salford City vs Sheffield Wednesday Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview

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Salford City

vs

Sheffield Wednesday

KickoffTuesday 22 September 2026, 7:00pm

VenueHillsborough

CompetitionEFL Trophy

Salford City have been quietly building something under Peter Cklamovski. Three wins from four in League Two, a 3-3 thriller away at Rotherham, and a hard-fought victory over Swindon at the weekend suggests the Ammies are finding their feet after a rocky start to the season. Sheffield Wednesday, on the other hand, arrive as one of the more ambitious outfits in League One, second in the table and buzzing with Premier League-level ambition even if their last two league games have ended in goalless stalemates that will have frustrated Henrik Pedersen no end.

This is a proper cross-division EFL Trophy tie. Salford are a League Two side on the up, Wednesday are a League One club that should be pushing for promotion this year, and both managers are almost certain to shuffle their packs. That makes it unpredictable in the best possible way.

Salford City vs Sheffield Wednesday Match Details

This EFL Trophy group stage tie takes place at the AIG Stadium in Salford, with both clubs making their first appearance in this season’s competition. It is a rare chance to see two clubs from different divisions go head to head outside of the cup knockout rounds, and for Salford there is genuine pressure to make progress given their inconsistent history in this competition in recent years.

Team News

Both managers are expected to rotate significantly, which means the team news picture is shaped more by who gets a rest than by who is out injured. That said, there are genuine absentees on both sides worth noting.

• Michael Rose remains sidelined for Salford with a long-term injury
• Abraham Odoh returns for the hosts after serving a suspension at the weekend
• Joe Powell, Macaulay Langstaff and Taylor Allen are all expected to be rested ahead of league commitments
• Ben Woodburn, Luke Garbutt and Nathan Asiimwe are in line for starts and will be looking to impress Cklamovski
• Sheffield Wednesday are without Di’Shon Bernard, Max Lowe, Cole McGhee, Tyler Onyango, George Brown, Louie Barry and Jordi Liongola through injury
• Barry Bannan and Callum Slattery are set to be rested after playing every League One game so far
• Liam Cooper is also expected to sit this one out
• Yan Valery, Billy Mitchell and Jamal Lowe may also be given the night off
• Gabriel Otegbayo, Jaden Heskey, Kieran Morrison, Harry Gray, Ernie Weaver and Ali Al-Hamadi are all pushing for starts

Predicted Lineups

Salford look set to go with a back four and give some of their fringe players a proper chance to make an impression. Woodburn is a player with real quality when given the opportunity, and Asiimwe at right back adds a bit of adventure going forward. Udoh leads the line with support from Malcolm and Woodburn.

Salford City: Burge; Asiimwe, Scarr, Awe, Garbutt; Grant, Butcher, Bonds; Woodburn, Udoh, Malcolm

Wednesday’s rotated side still looks fairly solid on paper. Maynard-Brewer in goal, Palmer and Weaver at centre back, and a midfield built around Heskey and Thornton. Burstow leads the line and will fancy his chances against a reshuffled Salford defence. Morrison and Gray will be keen to show Pedersen what they can do with a run of minutes.

Sheffield Wednesday: Maynard-Brewer; Palmer, Otegbayo, Weaver, James; Heskey, Thornton; Morrison, Keillor-Dunn, Gray; Burstow

Recent Form

Salford’s season started badly. They went out of the EFL Cup to Shrewsbury before losing three consecutive League Two games, and questions were already being asked about whether Cklamovski was the right appointment. But since then the response has been impressive. Wins over Newport County and Port Vale, that eye-catching 3-3 draw at Rotherham, and then a narrow but vital win against Swindon thanks to Joe Powell’s late goal. Four games unbeaten, three wins, and the confidence that comes with knowing you can go to a third-tier ground like Rotherham and more than match them.

Sheffield Wednesday’s League One campaign has been one of real promise with one very soft underbelly. They hammered Bromley 7-2, which is the kind of result that gets people excited, and picked up gritty 2-1 wins at Wycombe and Peterborough. But those back-to-back home blanks against Wigan and Stockport tell a slightly different story. The Owls have had clear-cut spells where they have not been able to break teams down, and in a competition like the EFL Trophy where neither side is at full strength, that could be a factor again.

The underlying quality in Wednesday’s squad is not in doubt. Fourteen points from seven League One games is a solid platform. But they come into this having not scored in two straight home games, and now they travel to a Salford side that has just beaten Swindon and has momentum behind them. Rotation or not, that backdrop matters.

Head-to-Head Record

These two clubs do not meet regularly enough for the head-to-head record to be particularly instructive. The gap in league levels has meant their paths have rarely crossed in competitive football, and when they have met in cup competitions the results have tended to favour the higher-division side on paper.

What we do know is that Salford have not historically got far in the EFL Trophy, dropping out in the group stage in two of the last three years and then going out at the next stage when they did progress. Wednesday arrive with a point to prove in a competition they will want to use to keep their fringe players sharp and match-ready.

Key Stats

• Sheffield Wednesday are second in League One with 14 points from seven games but have failed to score in their last two home outings
• Salford are unbeaten in four games across all competitions, picking up three wins in that run
• Salford have exited the EFL Trophy at the group stage in two of the last three years, giving this tie added importance for the home side

Salford City vs Sheffield Wednesday Betting Tips

Both teams rotating heavily creates a real opportunity for the sharper punter. The main squad players are rested, which means form lines from League One and League Two go out the window to an extent. You are betting on fringe players and young lads trying to impress, which tends to produce looser, more open games. That shapes the angle here nicely.

Correct Score Prediction

Wednesday have the stronger depth even in a rotated side, and Burstow leading the line is a genuine threat. A 1-2 to the visitors feels right, with Salford getting something from the game but ultimately the quality edge going to the third-tier side.

Both Teams To Score (BTTS) Prediction

Yes. Both sides are rotating, which tends to mean less defensive organisation and more chances at both ends. Salford have scored in their recent run of form and Wednesday’s attack, even without the first team regulars, has enough quality to trouble a reshuffled home back four. Both teams finding the net feels like the play here.

Corners Prediction

Over 9.5 corners. These are teams that like to get the ball wide and work the channels, and with both sides fielding less settled defensive units than usual, expect plenty of pressure from both flanks. A game like this, where pride and squad spots are on the line, tends to generate plenty of set piece situations.

Over and Under Goals Prediction

Over 2.5 goals. The combination of heavy rotation, motivated fringe players wanting to impress their respective managers, and two sides that have shown they can score goals in their recent outings makes for a game where a tight, cagey affair seems unlikely. Back the goals to flow.

First Goalscorer Prediction

Mason Burstow is the pick here. Starting up front for a Wednesday side that will want to put this game to bed early, he will be up against a Salford defence that is also rotated and finding its feet. He has pace, movement, and the confidence of a player who knows he needs to take his chance to push for league starts.

Cards Prediction

Over 2.5 cards. EFL Trophy ties at this level can get niggly, especially when you have squad players competing for manager approval and a cross-division edge to the contest. Neither side will want to be rolled over, and with tackles flying in from players trying to make a name for themselves, a few bookings feels very likely.

Bet Builder Tip

A rotated, cross-division cup tie with both managers prioritising fringe players is the ideal recipe for goals at both ends, and if Burstow gets the opener it only adds value to a bet that is already sitting on a goals-heavy foundation.

Final Match Prediction

Salford will give this a right good go. They are unbeaten in four, the crowd at the AIG Stadium will back them, and Cklamovski will want to show this club can compete in cup football as well as the league. But Sheffield Wednesday, even with a heavily rotated squad, have serious depth. The players coming in for them have played top-level football, and the quality gap between the two divisions is real even if it is narrowed by rotation.

Wednesday to shade it 1-2, Burstow causing problems throughout, and Salford left frustrated despite showing plenty of effort. The Owls get their EFL Trophy campaign up and running, but this will not be comfortable.

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