Sheffield Wednesday vs Derby County: Prediction, Lineups, Kickoff Time | Championship 2025/26

On: December 13, 2025 1:05 AM

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Sheffield Wednesday vs Derby County — Match Preview

A tense battle at the bottom end of the Championship table unfolds at Hillsborough on Saturday, 13 December 2025. Sheffield Wednesday are enduring a nightmare campaign, sitting rock bottom (24th) with a single win all season. The pressure is immense on Danny Rohl’s side to turn their fortunes around before they are cut adrift. Derby County, currently 15th with 27 points, are comfortably mid-table but struggling for consistency. The Rams will see this as a prime opportunity to secure an away win, while the Owls fight for their survival.

Sheffield Wednesday vs Derby County — Match Info

Competition: EFL Championship (Matchday 21)
Venue: Hillsborough, Sheffield (Capacity: 39,732)
Date: Saturday, 13 December 2025
Kickoff: 15:00 GMT | 16:00 CET | 10:00 ET
Referee: Lewis Smith (ENG)

Sheffield Wednesday vs Derby County — Match Stakes

Sheffield Wednesday (24th — -9 pts):*

Win → Vital morale boost; ends a 5-game winless streak
Draw → Stops the losing rot but does little for their league position
Loss → Gap to safety widens; relegation fears deepen significantly(Note: Points total indicates severe struggles or deduction context)

Derby County (15th — 27 pts):

Win → Moves to 30 pts; pushes them towards the top half of the table
Draw → Keeps them ticking over; a solid point away from home
Loss → Dragged closer to the relegation scrap; inconsistent form continues

Sheffield Wednesday vs Derby County — Team News

Sheffield Wednesday:

Bannan B. — Available (Captain & Key Playmaker)
Windass J. — Available (Goal threat)
Iorfa D. — Questionable (Knock in previous match)
No fresh major injuries reported from the Watford draw.

Derby County:

Cashin E. — Available (Defensive leader)
Mendez-Laing N. — Available (Main attacking outlet)
Yates J. — Questionable (Fatigue)
Nyambe R. — Available (Starting Right-back)

Sheffield Wednesday vs Derby County — Team Form (Last 5 Matches)

Sheffield Wednesday

10/12 — 1–1 vs Watford (Championship)
29/11 — 2–3 vs Preston (Championship)
27/11 — 0–1 vs Millwall (Championship)
23/11 — 0–3 vs Sheffield Utd (Championship)
08/11 — 1–3 vs Southampton (Championship)

Derby County

11/12 — 1–1 vs Millwall (Championship)
06/12 — 1–3 vs Leicester (Championship)
29/11 — 1–2 vs Middlesbrough (Championship)
26/11 — 2–1 vs Swansea (Championship)
22/11 — 2–3 vs Watford (Championship)

Sheffield Wednesday vs Derby County — Head-to-Head (Last 5 Meetings)

01/01/2025 — Sheffield Wed 4–2 Derby (Championship)
01/12/2024 — Derby 1–2 Sheffield Wed (Championship)
07/05/2023 — Sheffield Wed 1–0 Derby (League One)
03/12/2022 — Derby 0–0 Sheffield Wed (League One)
08/05/2021 — Derby 3–3 Sheffield Wed (Championship)

Sheffield Wednesday vs Derby County — Playing XI (Predicted Lineups)

Sheffield Wednesday (3-4-2-1)

Beadle; Valery, Bernard, Famewo; Valentin, Charles, Bannan, Johnson; Windass, Gassama; Ugbo

Derby County (4-2-3-1)

Zetterstrom; Nyambe, Nelson, Cashin, Elder; Ozoh, Osborn; Mendez-Laing, Goudmijn, Jackson; Yates

Sheffield Wednesday vs Derby County — Impact Bench

Sheffield Wednesday: Smith (Target man), Musaba (Pace on wing)

Derby County: Barkhuizen (Experience), Brown (Attacking flair)

Sheffield Wednesday vs Derby County — Tactical Analysis

Sheffield Wednesday

Desperation often dictates tactics for teams at the bottom. Wednesday showed fight in their 1–1 draw with Watford, and at Hillsborough, they will try to press high early on. Barry Bannan remains the pivot; everything goes through him. However, their defense (-22 Goal Difference) is porous. They must stop conceding cheap goals from set-pieces if they want a result.

Derby County

Paul Warne’s side will be happy to let Wednesday have the ball and hit them on the counter. With the pace of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Kayden Jackson on the wings, Derby can exploit the space behind Wednesday’s wing-backs. Their recent form is patchy, but they score goals (27 scored), suggesting they will find the net against this fragile Owls defense.

Sheffield Wednesday vs Derby County — Key Battles

Bannan vs Ozoh — experience vs youthful energy in midfield
Windass vs Cashin — clever movement vs aggressive defending
Ugbo vs Nelson — physical battle for the long balls
Mendez-Laing vs Johnson — pace mismatch on the flank

Sheffield Wednesday vs Derby County — Spotlight Players

Sheffield Wednesday — Barry Bannan

The veteran captain is the only player capable of controlling the game for the Owls. In a relegation dogfight, his composure and set-piece delivery are Wednesday’s best hope for survival.

Derby County — Eiran Cashin

The center-back is the rock of Derby’s defense. He will need to be at his best to organize the backline and ensure they don’t give away cheap chances to a desperate home side.

Sheffield Wednesday vs Derby County — Prediction

Sheffield Wednesday 2–2 Derby County

Sheffield Wednesday have a great recent record against Derby (3 straight wins), and their desperation might squeeze a performance out of them. However, their defense is too leaky to trust. An entertaining, high-scoring draw seems the most likely outcome.