Is Huddersfield’s form crisis worsening?
Huddersfield are currently in fear of promotion to the English top flight. After their recent dip in form, not only did their chances of direct promotion to the Premier League shrink, but their participation in the promotion play-offs is also in jeopardy. The lead over the seventh-placed team in the Championship is only four points with seven matchdays to go.
Therefore, Friday’s game at Hull City is all the more important and trend-setting. In contrast to the Terriers, the Tigers are currently languishing in the bottom third of the table. With their lead over the relegation places, staying in the league is probably only a matter of time. Even before the match against Huddersfield Town, Hull are already 13 points away from the red zone.
Against Friday’s opponents, the hosts from Hull are rated as slight underdogs by the best bookmakers. The assessment is not surprising at all, after all, in the matches between Hull vs. Huddersfield a bet on the Terriers paid off three times in a row last time.
This was also the case in the first leg of the current season, where Huddersfield bagged a 2-0 win over Hull City. Although the visitors from Huddersfield have not won any of their last three matches in the Championship, a similar result against Hull cannot be ruled out. The Tigers are not in a good shape at the moment either.
Hull – Statistics & current form
Hull City have not yet secured their place in the Championship. However, it is probably only a matter of time until the stay in the second English league is finally secured. With their current lead over the relegation places, it would be more than surprising if Hull City were to leave the Championship at the end of the season.
The Tigers are currently 20th in the table with 41 points. Four of the 41 points came in the last three matchdays. Nevertheless, the points haul was by no means satisfactory. After all, Hull City only picked up maximum points once in their last four Championship matches.
However, bettors who want to predict a win for the Tigers in the Hull vs. Huddersfield match can pick up betting odds above the 2.50 mark if they are successful. However, betting on this comes with a lot of risk given Hull’s recent record against Huddersfield. Hull City have not won against their upcoming opponents since August 2015.
Weakest home team in the Championship
There is a tendency for the negative streak against Huddersfield Town to end this season of all seasons. Hull City are statistically the weakest home team in the league and have only scored five times in 19 home games. In return, there have already been eleven defeats for Hull in this period.
Most recently, they even suffered five home defeats in a row. Among them was the last match against Luton before the international break, in which head coach Shota Arveladze’s team conceded a total of three goals. In return, Hull scored only one goal. Eaves’ last-minute goal, however, was ultimately only cosmetic for the result.
Arveladze is expected to field a similar starting eleven for the home game against Huddersfield Town. The 49-year-old will only have to do without Richard Smallwood. There are no other absentees for the hosts from Hull.
Predicted Hull line-up:
Ingram – Jones, McLoughlin, Greaves – Coyle, Smallwood, Honeyman, Elder – Lewis-Potter – Forss, Eaves
Last matches played by Hull:
Championship
03/19 2022 – Hull 1 – 3 Luton
03/16 2022 – Coventry 0 – 2 Hull
03/12 2022 – Birmingham 0 – 0 Hull
03/05 2022 – Hull 0 – 2 West Bromwich Albion
02/26 2022 – Peterboro 0 – 3 Hull
Huddersfield – Statistics & current form
Huddersfield Town remain in a starting spot for the promotion play-offs after 39 matchdays. However, because none of the last three matches in the Championship were won, the lead over the chasers shrank. Huddersfield’s recent defeat at the hands of Bournemouth AFC probably also put paid to any hopes of direct promotion.
Currently, Huddersfield are separated by six points from their recent rivals Bournemouth. In addition, the promotion rivals still have three catch-up games to play. In a worst-case scenario, Huddersfield’s gap could widen again. The primary goal therefore remains participation in the promotion play-offs.
After a draw and two defeats, Huddersfield Town are looking to make amends after the international break. The away game against Hull City comes in handy for head coach Carlos Corberán’s squad. The last time Huddersfield played at Hull’s MKM Stadium, the Terriers were victorious 2-1.
Will Huddersfield win an away game for the first time since February?
On the road, Huddersfield Town have won seven of their 20 away games so far this season and are the third best away team in the Championship with a record of 7-7-6. Most recently, Huddersfield have gone winless at unpleasant away hurdles against the likes of Millwall and West Brom.
Given the current odds, however, it is by no means unreasonable to bet on the visitors to win Hull v Huddersfield. The Terriers will start with the best possible line-up and will also be looking to end their current goal drought against Friday’s opponents from Hull. Huddersfield have failed to score in their last two competitive games.
Surprisingly, Huddersfield have one of the strongest attacking departments in the league with an average of 1.31 goals per league game. Striker Danny Ward, who is the top scorer in the Terriers’ ranks with 13 goals this season, played a big part in the goal haul.
Predicted Huddersfield line-up:
Nicholls – Turton, Pearson, Lees, Toffolo – Thomas, Russell, O’Brien, Holmes – Koroma, Ward
Last matches played by Huddersfield:
Championship
03/19 2022 – Huddersfield 0 – 3 Bournemouth
03/16 2022 – Millwall 2 – 0 Huddersfield
03/11 2022 – West Bromwich Albion 2 – 2 Huddersfield
FA Cup
03/07 2022 – Nottingham Forest 2 – 1 Huddersfield
Championship
03/04 2022 – Huddersfield 3 – 0 Peterboro
Hull – Huddersfield Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
Hull City and Huddersfield Town meet for the 46th time in their club history. So far Huddersfield lead the head-to-head comparison against Hull with a record of 20-9-16. Most recently, the Terriers have won three in a row against Hull. The last time Huddersfield missed out on a win against the Tigers was in April 2016.
The first leg of the current season saw a 2-0 win for the Terriers at Huddersfield Stadium. This was the first time since August 2015 that the three-goal mark between Huddersfield and Hull City has not been broken.
Hull – Huddersfield Tip
Huddersfield are still in the promotion race and can’t afford to drop any more points in this tight league constellation. In contrast, Friday’s opponents from Hull are still bobbing around in the bottom third of the table and, with a comfortable lead over the relegation places, are currently letting the 2021/22 season fade away.
Considering how weak Hull City were against Luton before the international break, the next setback against a promotion contender like Huddersfield cannot be ruled out. Especially as Hull have lost their last three matches against the Terriers anyway.
We nevertheless expect a match of equals, in which Hull City will definitely challenge the stumbling visitors from Huddersfield. In contrast to the first leg, where only two goals were scored between the two clubs, we expect a high-scoring encounter this time.
For Hull vs. Huddersfield we place our betting odds of 2.20 on over 2.5 goals in the match. Bets on this have paid off in four of the last five matches between the two clubs. We are betting four out of a possible ten units on this one.