Both sides are heading into the match on the back of defeats in their final pre-season friendlies at the weekend, with the hosts losing 2-1 to Luton Town, while the Saints were beaten 1-0 by AZ Alkmaar.
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The 2023-24 EFL Championship season will kickoff at Hillsbrough on Friday night as newly promoted Sheffield Wednesday play host to relegated Southampton. Both sides are heading into the match on the back of defeats in their final pre-season friendlies at the weekend, with the hosts losing 2-1 to Luton Town, while the Saints were beaten 1-0 by AZ Alkmaar. The Owls returned to the English second tier after a gap of two years courtesy of defeating Peterborough and Barnsley in the League One promotion playoff last term, while The visitors finished at the foot of the 2022-23 Premier League standings, ending their 11 year stay in the top flight.
Into 2023/24. Together.
It’s MATCHDAY! 🤩#COYR ❤️ pic.twitter.com/NKeCNCCEV1
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) August 4, 2023
Sheffield Wednesday finished third in the 2022-23 League One standings and qualified for the playoffs, where they defeated Peterborough 5-3 on penalties after the aggregate score was tied at 5-5. And then, the Owls edged past Barnsley in the one off promotion playoff final at Wembley Stadium thanks to Josh Windass’s lone goal in the 123rd minute. Meanwhile, Darren Moore who guided Sheffield Wednesday back into the second tier departed the club on mutual consent in mid-June and Xisco Munoz was then asked with leading the South Yorkshire outfit. The Owls played six pre-season friendlies this summer, recording one win, two draws and three successive defeats in the process. Munoz’s men lost out to newly promoted Premier League side Luton last time out despite taking the lead through Michael smith’s 9th-minute effort. With their pre-season campaign now complete, SWFC will be keen to make their return to the Championship with a positive result in front of their home crowd on Friday.
Southampton, on the other hand, had a disastrous Premier League season last term, finishing at the bottom of the table, having collected just 25 points from 38 games. Their long-serving manager Ralph Hasenhuttl departed in November, while his replacement Nathan Jones lasted just eight league-games. Ruben Selles was them appointed to lead the Saints for the remainder of the season, and they were condemned to relegation. Former Swansea City boss Russell Martin took charge of the club this summer and led the team in five pre-season friendlies, recording one win, a draw and three defeats in the process. Now, with their focus fully of Friday’s curtain-raiser, Southampton will look to kickoff their bid to return to the top flight at the first time of asking with a three-point haul away from home.
Sheffield Wednesday probable starting lineup: Dawson; Palmer, Bernard, Iorfa, James, Vaulks, Byers, Bannan, Windass, Smith, Delgado
Southampton probable starting lineup: Bazunu, Livramento, Stephens, Charles, Manning, Ward-Prowse, Smallbone, Tella, Alcaraz, Edozie, Adams
Sheffield Wednesday
| Opponents | Score |
| Luton | 1-2 (L) |
| Doncaster | 1-0 (L) |
| Eldense | 4-0 (L) |
| Murcia | 0-0 (D) |
| Chesterfield | 1-2 (W) |
Southampton
| Southampton | Score |
| AZ Alkmaar | 0-1 (L) |
| Bournemouth | 2-3 (L) |
| Reading | 2-4 (W) |
| Goztepe | 1-1 (D) |
| Benfica | 2-0 (L) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Southampton beat Sheffield Wednesday | 2-1 |
| Southampton beat Sheffield Wednesday | 2-0 |
| Southampton beat Sheffield Wednesday | 2-0 |
| Southampton beat Sheffield Wednesday | 0-1 |
| Sheffield Wednesday beat Southampton | 2-0 |
The EFL Championship fixture between Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton will take place at Hillsborough on Saturday at 12:30 pm IST.
| Sheffield Wednesday vs Southampton | Key Details |
| Date | August 4 (UK) |
| Venue | Hillsbrough |
| Kickoff time in UK | 8:00 pm (Friday) |
| Kickoff time in India | 12:30 am (Saturday) |
The live telecast of the EFL Championship matches in India will be available on Sports 18 network. Meanwhile, those in UK can watch the match on Sky Ultra HD, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Go Extra and Sky Sports Football.
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