More than 31,000 supporters are expected inside Hillsborough on Thursday night as Sheffield Wednesday finally bring League One football back home.
A third-tier fixture, under the lights, on a Thursday night in August, and effectively a full house.
There cannot be many places in world football where that combination would produce this kind of crowd. After everything Wednesday supporters endured last season, the response to the club's fresh start has been extraordinary, and Hillsborough should provide the backdrop it deserves when Henrik Pedersen's side face Bradford City.
Both teams arrive with perfect records.
Wednesday followed their 1-0 Carabao Cup victory over Bolton Wanderers with a 2-1 win away at Leyton Orient on Saturday, while Bradford have opened their campaign with successive 2-0 victories against Rochdale and Peterborough United.
Something, therefore, has to give.
A Hillsborough night to savour
There was already a sense of something changing when Wednesday finished last season with their first home league victory of the campaign.
New ownership had arrived, the threat of further points deductions had disappeared and a summer of rebuilding could begin.
Thirteen new players have since arrived at Middlewood Road, Pedersen has been given a squad capable of competing again and Wednesday have responded by winning their opening two competitive matches.
On to Thursday!
This is the first home league game of the new campaign and the first opportunity for more than 30,000 Wednesdayites to see this rebuilt side in League One.
The game was originally scheduled for Saturday before being moved forward for television coverage, which makes the size of the attendance even more striking.
A Thursday night. Live on Sky Sports. League One football.
And Hillsborough will be packed.
Wednesday supporters have repeatedly demonstrated the size of the club despite the circumstances surrounding it, but an attendance of more than 31,000 for a third-tier game at this stage of the season is another remarkable statement.
Pedersen's players now have the opportunity to feed off that atmosphere and maintain the momentum built during the opening fortnight.
Two perfect starts
Wednesday's opening league victory was not straightforward.
Callum Slattery put the Owls ahead at Leyton Orient before Joseph Olowu levelled for the hosts, but Wednesday improved after the interval and eventually secured the points when Jamal Lowe converted from the penalty spot.
There were periods in the second half when Pedersen's side could have made the victory considerably more comfortable, and the performance offered further encouragement following the cup win over Bolton.
Bradford arrive in equally good form.
Graham Alexander's side beat Rochdale 2-0 in the Carabao Cup before beginning their League One campaign with another 2-0 victory, this time against Peterborough United.
Macaulay Gillesphey opened the scoring shortly after half-time before Nick Powell added a second with 15 minutes remaining.
Two games, two wins and two clean sheets represents an excellent start for a Bradford side that reached the League One play-offs last season.
Thursday should consequently provide Wednesday with their toughest examination yet.
Santos and Mitchell pushing for involvement
Pedersen could have further options available for the game.
Ricardo Santos and Billy Mitchell are both back training and will continue to be assessed before the Bradford fixture.
“Both of them are training well so we will see what happens with them in the next couple of days,” Pedersen told The Star following Saturday's victory.
Santos would add considerable experience to a young defensive unit in which Gabriel Otegbayo and Sil Swinkels have started the season together, while Mitchell would provide another option in central midfield.
Further updates on the likes of Yan Valery and Tyler Onyango are expected ahead of the game.
Pedersen has made it clear that he does not want to rush players back before they are capable of performing at their best.
“You want to have all your players to perform on the highest possible level, and to bring them to the highest possible level, they need to be totally fit from the body side, from the mental side,” he told The Star.
Could Morrison arrive in time?
There could even be another new face at Hillsborough.
The Wednesday Word reports that Wednesday are increasingly confident of completing a season-long loan deal for Liverpool winger Kieran Morrison.
The highly-rated 19-year-old Northern Ireland international has attracted significant interest, but Wednesday are understood to be in pole position for his signature.
Morrison predominantly operates from the right and likes to cut inside onto his left foot, an area of the squad Wednesday had identified as a priority before the transfer deadline.
He made his senior Liverpool debut in the Carabao Cup last season and registered 22 goals and assists across all competitions during 2025/26.
The deal was yet to be completed at the time of writing, but there is hope that Morrison can be registered in time to potentially feature in Thursday's matchday squad.
A rivalry renewed
Remarkably, Thursday will be the first league meeting between Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford City for more than 21 years.
The sides last faced each other in league competition during the 2004/05 League One campaign, when Bradford won both meetings.
History at Hillsborough, however, is overwhelmingly in Wednesday's favour.
The Owls have lost just one of their last 11 home league matches against Bradford, winning five and drawing five. That solitary Bradford league victory at Hillsborough came all the way back in 1914.
The clubs have met more recently in the EFL Trophy, with Bradford winning 3-1 in 2022 after a goalless draw between the sides in 2011.
Those meetings bear little resemblance to what awaits on Thursday.
Two unbeaten sides, a packed Hillsborough and an opportunity for Wednesday to start a league season with consecutive victories.
After the turmoil of 2025/26, nights like this are exactly what Wednesday supporters have been waiting for.
Now more than 31,000 of them get the chance to make it sound like home again.
Team news and attendance context from Liam Norcliffe in The Star; Kieran Morrison reporting from Joe Crann at The Wednesday Word; historical match facts from BBC Sport.