English Championship League Playoff Preview
Second-tier English Championship League teams Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City will battle it out for the right to play in the Premier League next season when they meet at London’s famous Wembley Stadium on Saturday, May 28th. Burnley FC and Middlesbrough have already been automatically promoted for the 2016/17 campaign as the top two clubs in the Championship League this season. The third promoted team will be the winner of the Wednesday vs Hull match, which could very well be the richest soccer game in history because of the rewards the winner will reap next season. The Premier League’s new record-high broadcasting deal comes into effect next season with each of the 20 teams raking in millions more dollars.
Sheffield Wednesday vs Hull City – bet365 Soccer Betting Line:
- bet365 currently lists Hull City as the favorite to win the 90-minute game at 6-5 with Sheffield Wednesday 12/5 and a draw at 23/10
Sheffield Wednesday vs Hull City – Head to Head:
- The two clubs met each other in league play back in October at Hillsborough in October and played to a 1-1 draw. They met again at the KC Stadium in Hull in February and it ended in a 0-0 draw. Prior to this season, the squads last met in the 2012/13 campaign with Hull winning 1-0 in Sheffield and Sheffield winning 3-1 in Hull. Sheffield Wednesday has won just two of the last 10 meetings with three draws and five defeats. The two sides have squared off against each other 49 times in the past with Sheffield Wednesday winning 20, losing 11 and drawing the other 18.
Hull made it to the playoff final after beating Derby County 3-2 on aggregate in their two-legged semifinal series. Hull won the first match 3-0 in Derby and then had to sweat it out as Derby beat them 2-0 at their own KC Stadium. Sheffield Wednesday reached the final by downing Brighton and Hove Albion on aggregate with a 2-0 home win and a 1-1 draw down on the south coast in Brighton.
Hull finished the season in fourth place out of 24 clubs with a record of 24 wins, 11 draws and 11 losses for 83 points after being relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season. They scored 69 goals and allowed 35 against this year. Hull has a strong squad with Abel Hernandez leading the way this season with 22 goals. They also boast some solid players with Premier League experience such as midfielders Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone as well as defender Michael Dawson. Their win over Derby in the first leg means the squad has lost just once in its last 10 outings.
Sheffield Wednesday is hoping to reach the top tier of English soccer for the first time since the 1999/2000 season. They’ll be looking for good performances out of Gary Hooper, Fernando Forestieri and Lucas Joao on Saturday. The club finished the 2015/16 campaign in sixth place and grabbed the final playoff position. They won 19 matches while drawing 17 and losing 10 for 74 points while scoring 66 goals and allowing 45 against. This will be the team’s first appearance at Wembley in the past 25 years. The game has to be decided on Saturday so it will go to 30 minutes of extra time if it ends in a draw. If it’s still tied it will then be decided by a penalty shootout.
Real Madrid needs some outside help if they hope to leapfrog over Spanish La Liga leaders Barcelona and win the title on the final weekend of the season. Real pays a visit to Deportivo de la Coruna on Saturday, May 14th and the league will be decided then as Barcelona visits 16th-place Granada the same day. Real trails Barcelona by one point and can capture the league championship if they win and Barcelona draws or loses. If Barcelona should lose and Real draws then Barcelona will clinch the title unless they lose by six goals or more, which is highly unlikely. It’s a must-win game for Real at the Estadio Municipal de Riazor no matter what Barcelona does in Granada.
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