Sheffield Wednesday vs Manchester City Predictions

• Sheffield Wednesday haven’t scored more than once at home since the first week of December.
• Sheffield Wednesday have failed to score in four of their last seven home matches.
• Manchester City have scored at least four goals in each of their FA Cup matches this season.

Wednesday ill-prepared

In facing a useful Derby County side at the weekend, at this venue, Sheffield Wednesday had the opportunity to get themselves on the right path ahead of this game, but they failed to put up enough of a fight, losing by three goals to one. Such an effort does not bode well ahead of a clash against one of the best teams in the country and potentially Europe.

This won’t be the first time Wednesday have faced Premier League opposition; they beat Brighton away from home in the third round, though facing Man City is an entirely different and considerably more daunting task.

In terms of their home efforts in the Championship, the Owls have underwhelmed. They were beaten at this venue by Derby last time out and have now lost five of their last seven at Hillsborough. Alarmingly, they’ve conceded three in their last five at home, which doesn’t point to them doing well against an attack as good as City’s, nor does the fact they’ve scored just two in three in their last seven in front of a home crowd.

City primed

Their league crown is certainly gone, but Man City retained their status as EFL Cup champions by beating Aston Villa at Wembley on Sunday afternoon. The Citizens will now have eyes on ensuring the FA Cup stays in the blue half of Manchester too.

After losing against Tottenham at the start of last month, City recovered to beat both West Ham and Leicester, conceding no goals in the process. Moreover, they’ve made light work of beating lower-division teams in this competition, beating Port Vale by four goals to one and Fulham by four goals to nil.

The way in which they dismantled the Cottagers in the previous round suggests they ought to make light work of sending Wednesday packing.

Visiting goals on the menu

Sheffield Wednesday have been struggling to keep Championship teams at bay of late, so it’s easy to envisage Man City running riot. In the betting, ‘Manchester City to Score Over 3.5 Goals’ appeals. In their last five at home, the hosts have conceded no less than 11 goals, conceding five against Blackburn and three against both Reading and Derby.

Add in that scoring lots of goals has been nothing but routine for City against lower-level opposition in this competition and backing Pep Guardiola’s men to fill their boots is hard to resist at the current prices.

In the ‘Correct Score’ market, a 4-0 victory for the visitors appeals. City have notched four goals in each of their FA Cup matches this season, while the recent defensive exploits of the hosts point towards them struggling immensely at the back. Wednesday have also failed to score in four of their last seven at home, scoring just once when they have managed to net during that time, so backing them to come up short in a game where they’ll be starved of possession certainly appeals.