Middlesbrough v Sheffield Wednesday: promotion push meets survival fight | OneFootball

Middlesbrough host Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship at Riverside Stadium on Wednesday, 22 April 2026, with the play-off race colliding with a survival fight.

Middlesbrough are fifth on 73 points, while Sheffield Wednesday are bottom on minus three after 43 games. The visitors were also edged in the reverse meeting last autumn, when Middlesbrough won 1-0 away in October 2025.

Boro are winless in five, drawing at Ipswich and Swansea and losing to Millwall and Portsmouth in that run. The Owls have put together three straight draws, including 0-0 at Coventry and 1-1 against Leicester and Charlton.

Boro are without Darragh Lenihan and Hayden Hackney, while Riley McGree, Alfie Jones and Leo Castledine are also sidelined. The Owls list Liam Cooper, Di'Shon Bernard and Svante Ingelsson among several absentees, with Joel Ndala, Guilherme Siqueira, Ernie Weaver and George Brown also out.

Across the season, Boro have scored 64 and conceded 44, averaging 59% possession with 84.49% passing accuracy, so they could look to control the ball. The Owls have 26 goals for the campaign and have conceded 83, with four clean sheets, so their defence may come under pressure. Morgan Whittaker has 11 league goals for Boro, with Tommy Conway on 10.

A win would lift Boro to 76 points and strengthen their grip on the play-off places. The Owls would move to zero points with victory but remain bottom, though another positive result could extend their recent unbeaten run and keep their survival bid alive.