Oldham vs Sheffield Wed Preview & Prediction | 2026-27 English FA Cup | First Round
by Trystan Pugh ·
Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!
Oldham host Sheffield Wed on Sunday evening in a first round contest in the 2026-27 FA Cup.
Kick-off date/time:
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Oldham vs Sheffield Wed prediction
The biggest story here is in the visitors’ dugout. Sheffield Wednesday sacked Henrik Pedersen late October, and after interim boss Matt Hamshaw took charge for the 1-1 draw with Blackpool, Dave Challinor was then appointed. Challinor watched that game from the stands so this will be his first game in charge, with the former Stockport County boss saying he has identified some “quick wins” structurally to work on.
The Owls dropped points against Blackpool after Sil Swinkels was sent off following Davis Keillor-Dunn’s opener, with Jerry Yates equalising late on. There is some good news, with Ricardo Santos and Jordi Liongola back in the squad and Di’Shon Bernard and Liam Cooper close to a return, although fresh problems for Reece James, Billy Mitchell and Ali Al-Hamadi add to a long injury list. Wednesday are ninth in League One and have won only once in their last eight league games, and a new manager does not guarantee an immediate bounce. They lost at this stage to Plymouth Argyle in 2021-22, although their best recent runs came in 2023-24, when they reached the fourth round, and in 2019-20, when they reached the fifth.
Oldham Athletic beat Northampton Town 3-1 in this round last season before losing at MK Dons in round two, and they are 18th in League Two. Their best recent run was to the fourth round in 2018-19. They followed a 1-0 home defeat to Crawley Town with a 1-0 win at Northampton on Tuesday and will be encouraged by Wednesday’s uncertainty. Wednesday are slight favourites, but six of their last eight league games have featured fewer than three goals, and Oldham are not a high-scoring side, so we are backing under 2.5 goals.
Oldham vs Sheffield Wed tip: Under 2.5 goals
