Sheffield Wednesday will be targeting a winning start to the 2026/27 campaign when they welcome Bolton Wanderers to Hillsborough in the first round of the Carabao Cup on Saturday afternoon. The Owls, who knocked Wanderers out of the competition at this stage last season, are embarking on a new era following the completion of Arise Capital Partners’ takeover of the club at the very end of last term. A transformative summer has taken place at Hillsborough, and everyone is hoping that the feel-good factor created off the pitch will now translate onto it. Arise have invested in the club’s infrastructure and overseen the arrivals of 13 new players. With the clash against Bolton marking Wednesday’s final opportunity to build momentum ahead of next weekend’s League One opener against Leyton Orient, they will be determined to make a winning start to the season. Ahead of the clash with Steven Schumacher’s side, here are five pre-match talking points: ## A new dawn When Wednesday kicked off the 2025/26 campaign at Leicester City last August, the away end was practically empty, with Owls fans choosing to come in five minutes late in protest against former owner Dejphon Chansiri. Wednesday had endured a torrid summer, and the situation gradually worsened, ultimately leading to the club going into administration. As devastating a moment as that was in the Owls’ rich and colourful history, it also signalled the end of the Chansiri era. Following several months of uncertainty and difficulties on and off the pitch, Arise completed its takeover of the club on May 1, bringing an end to the darkest chapter in the club’s history. Although Arise’s stewardship is only just over three months old, Wednesday have made huge strides off the pitch in next to no time. A record-breaking number of season tickets have been sold, ground improvements have been carried out, key off-field appointments have been made, 13 new players have been recruited, and two very popular kits have been released. With so much positive energy around the club, Wednesday now need it all to come together on the pitch. Patience will be required this season amid the scale of the rebuild currently taking place, but there is no doubt there is a buzz around the Owls again. ## Debuts galore expected Wednesday announced their 13th signing of what has been a very busy summer on Friday, confirming the arrival of former Everton midfielder Tyler Onyango. He had recently been on trial at Hillsborough and featured in last Saturday’s 4-0 defeat to Oldham Athletic in the Owls’ final pre-season friendly. Wednesday needed quantity as much as quality this summer after losing so many players in the summer of 2025 and a handful of others at the end of last season, meaning a sizeable intake was always expected. The Owls have so far strengthened their goalkeeping department, bolstered their centre-back options, recruited well in midfield, brought in Louie Barry, and signed Harry Gray and Mason Burstow to add to their attacking options. Billy Mitchell, who arrived from Millwall last month, is the only summer signing to have been ruled out of the clash with Bolton after recently suffering a minor ankle injury. Thankfully, it is not serious, and he is expected to be back in training on Sunday. It means Peder will be hoping to make his debut for the Owls in the Carabao Cup clash against Bolton.