Sheffield Wednesday and Bolton Wanderers will begin a new era this weekend when they meet at Hillsborough in the Carabao Cup’s first round.

The Owls are hoping to put an end to the upheaval of the Dejphon Chansiri era, therefore the occasion is very meaningful.

More than 23,000 season tickets have been sold under new ownership, and Henrik Pedersen has been tasked with reshaping a squad capable of competing for promotion, with Mason Burstow, Louie Barry, and Ricardo Santos among the most notable arrivals.

Bolton go to Hillsborough for their first competitive game since winning promotion to the Championship through the play-offs.

Steven Schumacher has made six additions this summer, although he has been open about the challenges of operating on what he expects to be one of the division’s lesser budgets, having missed out on several targets.

The Wanderers’ head coach has drawn parallels with his stint at Plymouth Argyle, where he oversaw promotion from League One with few resources, and has stated that Saturday’s game would not be seen as an extension of preseason.

Both managers, however, face selection challenges, with six players in total unavailable for the match.

Sheffield Wednesday

Ricardo Santos
The Swansea City summer signing has yet to make his Wednesday debut following a knee injury that hampered his pre-season. Pedersen said that the center-back has been training but is not yet ready to face his former club, with the head coach hoping to have him available starting next week.

Dishon Bernard

The defender is yet another option missing from Pedersen’s back line as we approach the weekend, adding to Wednesday’s defensive selection headache. The centreback has finally returned to training after sustaining a knee injury during the 24/25 season, but the Wanderers match comes a little too soon.

Sheffield Wednesday’s Preseason

Date Opposition Score Result
11.07: West Brom 0-3 Loss
14.07: Hallam 0-0; 18.07: Preston North End 3-2; 25.07: Stoke City 0-6; 01.08: Accrington Stanley 0-0; 01.08: Oldham Athletic 0-4.
Cole McGhee
The youthful center-back was forced off just five minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute in the goalless draw against Accrington Stanley after dislocating his shoulder. Pedersen revealed that the 20-year-old will now spend time on the sidelines as a result.

George Brown

The breakout scorer for 25/26 is still out injured and is expected to be sidelined for several weeks, thus he will miss the Carabao Cup tie.

Bolton Wanderers

Sam Dalby

The forward, who was a hero during Bolton’s play-off run last season, sustained a hamstring injury in preparation for the upcoming season. He will not be fit to play against Wednesday, leaving Schumacher without his only acknowledged out-and-out striker for the trip to Hillsborough.

Bolton Wanderers’ preseason schedule includes dates, opponents, scores, and results.
In July, Dunajska Streda lost 2-1, Oldham Athletic won 1-3, Everton lost 0-0, Fleetwood Town won 1-1, and NAC Breda won 1-0.

Ethan Erhahon

The midfielder has played 45 minutes in preseason but is now regarded as trailing captain Eoin Toal in the recovery standings, with Schumacher revealing Erhahon is still working with fitness trainers to manage a calf ailment. Toal, who missed Bolton’s play-off final due to a hamstring injury, has accelerated his own rehabilitation and appeared in the club’s final pre-season friendly.