EFL Championship: Leicester City vs Sheffield Wednesday - Betting Tips, Odds & Prediction

Leicester welcome Sheffield Wednesday to Wembley on Monday morning for their first match of the 2025/26 EFL Championship season. 

The Foxes are back in the English second tier again, after a brief return to the Premier League last season. Sheffield Wednesday, meanwhile, have been in the headlines for their financial troubles, which have put the club’s future in jeopardy. 

Can Sheffield produce an upset, or is this going to be an easy win for Leicester? Read on, as we present our odds breakdown - sourced from the best betting sites in NZ - and analysis for this match. 

Leicester City

The Foxes’ top-flight return ended in disappointment, with relegation confirming a swift return to the Championship. It continues the trend of promoted clubs finding life tough in the Premier League. 

Still, with a strong squad and a track record of bouncing back quickly, the Foxes will now be aiming to follow Burnley’s lead and secure promotion at the first attempt. As a result, football sports betting platforms have given Leicester short odds for promotion.

There’s been a change in the dugout, too. Ruud van Nistelrooy’s stint didn’t pan out as hoped, prompting the club to turn to Marti Cifuentes. The Spaniard arrives after two seasons with QPR, where he posted a win rate just shy of 35%.

Team News: Harry Souttar will not be available for selection as he works his way back from an ACL injury.

Predicted Lineup: Stolarczyk; Justin, Okoli, Nelson, Kristiansen; Skipp, Ndidi, Soumare; Fatawu, Mavididi, Daka.

Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday fans will feel last season was a step towards the right direction for their club after a turbulent first year back in the second tier. They barely avoided the drop in their 23/24 campaign, but last season, they managed to secure a far more respectable 12th place finish. 

That said, it hasn’t been a shiny summer at Hillsborough. The FA have slapped a transfer embargo on them for financial mismanagement. Many key players have left the club, and there are plenty of questions hanging over the squad and the management. So, their pre-season preparations have been far less than ideal.

Team News: Sheffield Wednesday have no reported injury concerns heading into the match.

Predicted Lineup: Charles; Valery, Iorfa, Lowe, Palmer; Chalobah, Ingelsson; McNeill, Ugbo, Lowe; Cadamarteri.

• Leicester are on a three-match unbeaten run against Sheffield (2W, 1D).
• Sheffield Wednesday last beat Leicester in 2014.
• Leicester and Sheffield Wednesday’s past 14 meetings have all come in the second tier of English football.

The King Power Stadium will be key to Leicester’s promotion hopes this season. With a mix of seasoned Championship campaigners and Premier League veterans, the Foxes have the talent to control games at this level. For their first match, betting apps in NZ are labelling Leicester runaway favourites. 

Sheffield Wednesday’s roster looks stretched thin ahead of the new season. The Owls did little to improve their leaky defence that let in 69 goals last season; the third-worst defensive record in the division. 

As behind the scenes drama continues at Hillsborough, they don’t seem to be in a good place ahead of this match. So, we recommend backing a big win for the home side in this one. It seems unlikely that Sheffield will be able to score. 

Liverpool 3-0 Sheffield Wednesday @ $6.50

Sheffield Wednesday head into this clash without having played a single pre-season warm-up match. Leicester, by contrast, looked sharp in their pre-season outings. Marti Cifuentes has implemented a high-intensity style during those games, and he’s likely to stick with that approach to exploit Sheffield’s defensive vulnerabilities and lack of match sharpness. PlayUp's $6.50 price for a 3-0 Leicester victory looks too good to ignore.