Up against familiar opposition in the EFL Cup's second round, Sheffield Wednesday are set to host Leeds United at Hillsbrough on Tuesday evening.
The Owls are looking for their second win of the season, while the Peacocks will be hoping to bounce back from defeat last time out.
Match preview
Henrik Pedersen's Wednesday have endured a difficult campaign to date, losing two and drawing one of their three Championship matches this term.
However, the Owls did earn their only triumph so far in the League Cup back on August 13, beating Bolton 4-2 on penalties after a dramatic 3-3 draw that saw Sam Inwood sent off with just 27 minutes on the clock.
On Saturday, Pedersen's side came from behind to earn their first point of the league season in a 2-2 draw with promoted club Wrexham, and though the manager will be pleased with the spirit his team showed to recover, he will be frustrated that it took two second-half goals from Barry Bannan and Bailey Cadamarteri to level the score.
That draw left Wednesday 21st in the table, where their tally of one point has them level with Queens Park Rangers in the relegation zone, but still ahead of their city rivals - bottom-of-the-pile Sheffield United - by the slimmest of margins.
Playing on their own turf in midweek, fans of the Owls will be concerned by their dire home record that features only one victory from their last 11 matches at Hillsbrough, as well as six defeats from their eight most recent clashes in front of their own supporters.
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke pictured on May 3, 2025
Meanwhile, Daniel Farke's Leeds won the Championship in 2024-25, and they will feel confident of progressing against the team that finished 12th in their title-winning season.
The Peacocks made an excellent start to life in the Premier League by beating David Moyes's Everton 1-0 during the divisions opening weekend, sparking talk of them potentially being the first promoted club since 2022-23 to avoid the drop.
However, Farke's men got a reality check at the Emirates on Saturday when they were thrashed 5-0 by Arsenal, a game in which they produced one shot on target and just 0.16 expected goals.
In the second tier last season, Leeds completed the double over Wednesday, winning 2-0 on the road in August 2024 before triumphing 3-0 at Elland Road in January, and the visiting fans will be expecting to see their team advance to the next round.
Additionally, the travelling supporters' hopes will be bolstered by the fact that the Peacocks have lost just one of their last seven away games, but given that they won only three of those matches, they will need to maintain their focus in this one-off clash.
Sheffield Wednesday EFL Cup form:
Sheffield Wednesday form (all competitions):
Leeds United form (all competitions):
Team News
Lukas Nmecha of Leeds United celebrates scoring on August 18, 2025
Wednesday's Bruno Fernandes started behind strikers Charlie McNeill and Ike Ugbo in the first round, but he is sidelined with an injury this week, and Sean Fusire could take his place in the XI.
In the centre of the park, Nathaniel Chalobah is dealing with a hamstring injury that is expected to keep him out until mid-September, so Olaf Kobacki, Rio Shipston and Jarvis Thornton are likely to line up in midfield on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, centre-back Di'Shon Bernard will miss this clash with a knee injury, and Joe Emery and Ernie Weaver could start at the heart of Pedersen's defence.
As for Leeds, new striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is unlikely to feature as he builds fitness, and Lukas Nmecha could come into the side for Joel Piroe up top.
The only other absentee for Farke's side is the versatile Ethan Ampadu, who is picked up a knee injury, so expect to see Ilia Gruev start at the base of midfield, with Ao Tanaka and Anton Stach just ahead of him.
Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Charles; Siqeuria, Emery, Weaver, Johnson; Thornton, Shipston, Fusire, Kobacki; McNeill, Ugbo
Leeds United possible starting lineup:
Perri; Bogle, Rodon, Strujik, Gudmundsson; Tanaka, Gruev, Stach; James, Nmecha, Gnonto
SM words green background
We say: Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Leeds United
Wednesday have struggled throughout 2025, and their record at home suggests that they could struggle once again in midweek.
On the other hand, Leeds have lost just one of their last seven matches on the road, and after completing a league double over the Owls last season, they will be expecting to progress on Tuesday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
ID:579978:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect10300:No Data Analysis info
Previews by email
Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!