Sunderland v Sheffield Wednesday: The Star's writers make their play-off semi-final predictions
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Spolier alert: No one is expecting too many goals!
Alex Miller
It's going to be a tight one, isn't it? Wednesday will go there on the front foot you'd think - they haven't had any other way for a good few months now - and Sunderland are a very good side particularly at home. Will Darren Moore make changes? He may well, you know, as he has all season. Expect Wednesday to come under pressure at set pieces and to try to hit Sunderland on the break. Whoever wins the midfield battle will go a long way to winning this one. I'll go for an optimistic 1-1 draw - though a defeat by one goal wouldn't be the end of the world.
Joe Crann
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Hide Ad1-0 to Sunderland. I think it's going to be a really tight game, with not too much in it. Over two legs I think Wednesday have got enough in them to get the result, but I do worry about the match away. Feel like home advantage might swing it their way at the Stadium of Light. Hope I'm wrong, and it could easily swing the other way on the night, but I'd take a draw now if I was offered it. Their home form is tremendous, and Wednesday haven't been great on the road. So yeah, a narrow home win, but small enough to be overturned.
Steve Jones
Unlike some of a Wednesday persuasion - and perhaps because I haven't been scarred by what's gone before - I am going to be optimistic and back the Owls to win on Wearside. I think it'll be close, but they have enough Championship-level quality to beat Sunderland in a packed Stadium of Light, particularly if Barry Bannan is fit. I'll go for victory by a single-goal margin to set up a mouth-watering second leg at Hillsborough.
Chris Holt
There’s not a great deal between the two teams and I think home advantage could play a big part in both legs. However, there’s a resilience about this Owls team at present that had been severely lacking in the past and I think they’ll be able to stand up to whatever’s thrown at them at the Stadium of Light. I’m not sure it’ll be enough for them to win this one but they won’t lose. Could be 0-0 (sorry).