Barnsley v Sheffield Wednesday: South Yorkshire derby set for stalemate

14Dec 2012

Two woefully out-of-form strugglers meet at Oakwell and Andy Tongue thinks a point apiece is the most likely outcome...

Saturday December 15, 17:20 GMT

Live on SKY Sports 2

A relegation six-pointer is a classic footballing cliché but there's no doubt that's what this South Yorkshire derby is with neither side having tasted victory since early November.

Barnsley

The Tykes will have ruined a lot of multiples last Saturday with their highly unexpected and creditable 2-2 draw at Leicester, only missing out on all three points as a result of a last minute equaliser. However, that did extend their run of games without a win to ten. Goals are the problem - they have managed just eight at home in ten games. There are also problems at the other end - they've not kept a clean sheet since October 20. Their joker in the pack could be ex-Wednesday favourite Marcus Tudgay, though, who is on-loan at Oakwell from Nottingham Forest, and has scored in two of the last three games. He says he won't celebrate if he finds the net on Saturday and his resolve may be tested.

Sheffield Wednesday

Amazingly, despite the grim reading that Barnsley's form makes, Wednesday's recent record is even worse - Dave Jones' side has lost seven on the spin and his defiance in the face of calls to quit will surely evaporate if they are beaten here. Early season optimism in the form of wins over Millwall and Birmingham has long gone and since then they have managed just two victories, over fellow strugglers Ipswich and Bristol City. Jay Bothrooyd has been the big disappointment, managing just one goal from 14 starts, while Miguel Angel Llera is never out of the headlines, either gifting the opposition a goal through his regular gaffes or popping up at the other end to grab one for himself - the Spanish centre-back has four to his name already this season.

Match Odds

Given their respective recent records it would be a bold call to back either of these sides to win so the draw is the obvious play at 3.5. Jones would see that as a reprieve for another week at least and the home side would be happy enough with another point on the back of that impressive result at Leicester.

Both Teams to Score

With a good crowd and rousing tea-time atmosphere to boot, the relegation rivals will be well and truly up for this one and should be capable of finding the net over the course of the 90 minutes so backing both sides to score is recommended at 1.65.

Recommended Bet:

Back the draw at 3.5

Other Bets:

Back both sides to score at 1.65