The 2023/24 Championship season kicks off with a interesting encounter between a home side who pulled off an astonishing comeback in the play off semi final to push them on to achieving promotion, against an away side who will want to impress from the first whistle to try and get back into the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Sheffield Wednesday
Hillsborough became a fortress last season for Wednesday collecting 54 points from their 23 league games while scoring 49 (2.13 per game) in the process. Although the departure of manager Darren Moore will have come as a shock to Wednesday fans after achieving a 51.2% win rate while in charge and oversaw their promotion back to the championship.
Southampton
After ending their 10 year stint in the top flight, Southampton will be aiming to get back to the Premier League. Easier said than done in a division, that at times, is like the lottery! With new manager Russell Martin at the helm who has had some championship experience in charge of Swansea, he’ll be keen to get off on the right foot in GameWeek 1!
Head-to-Head
Tonight is the first meeting domestically since 2011, when both sides were plying their trade in League 1! In 12 years a lot has changed for both sides but physiology the fact that Southampton have won the last 4 meetings between the two sides more give them an edge.
One to Watch
Of course, the star man on the pitch tonight (if he starts of course) will be James Ward-Prowse. With only David Beckham scoring more Premier League free-kicks, it’s not hard to see why teams in the top division are sniffing around the England man. Scoring 9 goals and collecting 4 assists in the Premier League last season, he will be vital to all set pieces for Southampton!
Let’s Look at the Odds – Bet365
Bet365 have got Southampton at 5/4 currently and them odds are very tempting indeed, more so that if Southampton take a 2 goal lead at any point in the game it will be settled as a winner.
Nathan Tella enjoyed a successful season at Burnley last campaign scoring 17 goals in 39 games domestically! Bet365 are offering 15/8 for him to score first or 5/1 to score first or last!
Both Teams to Score markets are at 8/11 if you give Sheffield Wednesday any chance of getting something but for me, it will be Southampton that will show their class in this division tonight and get their first three points on the board.
Prediction: Southampton Win
Open Account Offer Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets for new customers at bet365. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Registration required.
