"If any team was going to nick it..." - Pundit shares Barnsley vs Sheffield Wednesday prediction | OneFootball

Barnsley host Sheffield Wednesday this evening in what is expected to be an excellent clash between two team with promotion ambitions.

The Owls remain top of the League One pile and have not been defeated in the league since early October, whilst the Tykes have managed 29 points from their last 11 games.

Oakwell is proving to be a fortress for the Yorkshire club too, with Barnsley winning their last five on home soil, with victories coming against Derby County, Portsmouth and Plymouth Argyle during this run.

Providing a prediction on how this one might play out, Carlton Palmer told Football League World: "Yeah, it's a massive, massive game for both clubs.

"Barnsley have two games in hand on both Plymouth and Ipswich, so should they win that game, that will put them in the mix for an automatic place.

"Both teams are in great form. Five wins and a draw in their last six games. Both teams are comparable with goals conceded and Wednesday have slightly outscored Barnsley. "A draw would be a good result for Sheffield Wednesday, for sure. And, I'd probably go with that as the likely outcome. But if any team was going to nick it, I'd go for Sheffield Wednesday,

"I just think they've been on a longer unbeaten run and they know how to win games."

The verdict

This has the potential to be massive in the context of the promotion race, and it could be argued that these are the two most impressive teams in the division at the moment.

If the Owls are defeated, then pressure will be applied to their position at the top of the table and if Barnsley run out victorious, then they will position themselves excellently as they continue to chase down automatic promotion themselves.

Often in games like these, fine margins become extremely important and you hope that is not a mistake that determines the end result and that it is a bit of individual quality that wins the game instead.

A draw seems the most likely outcome as it is near-impossible to make a case for either of these teams to lose, especially with such strong unbeaten runs to back both clubs up.

It would be a major surprise to see one team runaway with the game this evening but what would not be a surprise would be both of these sides plying their trade in the Championship next season.