Sheffield Wednesday vs Sunderland: The interesting stats and key battles ahead of Championship fixture

Sunderland can expect plenty of possession against Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night . . . but should beware The Owls’ route one threat.

A glance at the Championship table might suggest The Black Cats have little to fear from Xisco Munoz’s newly-promoted strugglers at Hillsborough. But while a closer look at Wednesday’s stats this season highlights some of their specific weaknesses, it also suggests an area where they will almost certainly target Sunderland’s inexperience.

Here are the key numbers behind The Owls’ season so far – and how they could impact a match which Sunderland will target to refresh their momentum in the slowly evolving Championship promotion race.

Home form:

Since gaining promotion from the League One via the play-offs, Wednesday have failed to win a single league game, giving them the worst home record in the Championship with one point from 12 at home.

In comparison, Sunderland on the road have picked up seven points from a possible 12, scoring seven goals in their four league Championship away games this season.

Worse still for Wednesday, they have not kept a clean sheet at home since the last home match of the League One season against Derby in May.

Wednesday’s possession struggles:

Only two Championship teams have seen less of the ball than The Owls this season, with Munoz’s men averaging only 38 per cent possession across their eight games so far, compared to Sunderland’s 57.9 per cent.

Per Championship home game, Sheffield Wednesday have averaged just 291 completed passes – a figure again dwarfed by The Black Cats’ 463 completed passes per away game.

Owls’ aerial advantage:

Despite struggles in front of goal, the data shows Wednesday will pose a threat in the air, having registered the fourth most accurate long balls per match in the Championship this season.

Only Blackburn, Watford and Stoke have completed more long balls this season than The Owls’ average of 28.8 per match, although that may not be surprising given the profile of their strike options: Lee Gregory, Michael Smith and former Sunderland loanee Ashley Fletcher.

All three attackers operate as target men but with Wednesday ranked 21st in the Championship for big chances, it may be that winning second balls is also key to Sunderland conquering them at Hillsborough.

Goal shy-shy

Wednesday are averaging the fewest number of shots on goal in the Championship - at just two per match.

In terms of expected goals, their figure of 0.69XG at home this season is dwarfed by The Black Cats’ average of 1.67XG on their travels.

No player in The Owls’ squad has registered more than one league goal or assist this season.

With those stats in mind, Friday’s game may come down to the outcome of two key head-to-head battles.

Jack Clarke v Pol Valentin

Sunderland’s clinical winger Jack Clarke against Wednesday right-back Pol Valentin could be crucial, with the Spaniard’s probable deployment as a wing-back potentially leaving Clarke with space to exploit.

Clarke has probably been Sunderland’s player of the season so far – and not least on the road, producing five goals and an assist on The Black Cats’ travels.

Valentin may pose an attacking threat of his own, as he is averaging 2.04 successful take-ons and 3.19 progressive carries per 90 minutes, but Clarke’s defensive work-rate – he boasts a 54.3% tackle success rate and 2.45 tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes this season – also bodes well.

Luke O’Nien v Lee Gregory

Sunderland captain Luke O’Nien was troubled by Cardiff’s aerial threat at the weekend - losing his man on the late set-piece goal which condemned The Black Cats to a 1-0 home defeat  - and may be tested again on Friday night.

Although Wednesday striker Lee Gregory has only managed one goal so far this season, the 35-year-old has proved to be a thorn in Sunderland’s side in the past, scoring twice against them.

With O’Nien winning only 53.3 per cent  of his aerial duels this season, much may depend on his fellow defenders’ ability to win second balls at Hillsborough.