Will Huddersfield also miss out on the second matchday?

Failure to start for the Terriers! Huddersfield Town suffered a major setback in the promotion race with a 1-0 loss to Burnley FC in their season opener on matchday one. After all, the most recent opponents were among the direct competitors in the fight for promotion. The Terriers get the chance to make amends on the second matchday against Birmingham City.

In contrast to Huddersfield, Birmingham remained unbeaten on the first matchday of the 2022/23 Championship and picked up a well-deserved point at Luton Town. The Blues tried hard offensively, but were unable to break down Luton’s defensive bulwark. Because the defensive bulwark of Birmingham was also convincing, there was ultimately only a goalless draw.

Neither Birmingham nor Huddersfield were able to predict a high-scoring encounter on the first matchday of the Championship. In any case, the mark of three goals on the first matchday of the second English league was only broken in the match between Hull and Bristol.

If the next low-scoring encounter in the Championship kicks off the matchday, Birmingham vs Huddersfield will pay decent odds for a sub-2.5 goal bet. Bets on this have paid off in the last three matches between the two clubs.

Birmingham – Statistics & current form

Birmingham City stayed out of the promotion race last season, finishing 20th in the 2021/22 Championship with just 47 points. It was the Blues’ worst points haul in the second tier of the English league since the 2017/18 season, so in the summer, Birmingham City officials dared the next squad shake-up.

With John Eustace, a new head coach was introduced after the 2021/22 season. After a total of seven departures, selective reinforcements followed on a loan basis. Players such as Placheta, Bielik, Sanderson, Trusty and Ruddy joined the team. As the first match in the Championship showed, Birmingham will by no means be a points supplier this season.

After all, Eustace’s side picked up a well-deserved point against the semi-finalists of the 2021/22 promotion play-offs and even went without conceding a goal. It was Birmingham City’s first competitive match since April 2022 without conceding a goal. If they can build on that, a point against Friday’s opponents Huddersfield is not out of the question.

Does Birmingham hang on to their recent home record against Huddersfield?

The Blues have lost two of their last three home games against the Terriers. That included last season when Birmingham conceded a 2-0 defeat to Huddersfield Town at St Andrew’s Stadium. It was the third consecutive time the Blues remained winless against Huddersfield. The last time they beat Huddersfield Town was in October 2020.

Season-to-date, Birmingham City have won just one league game in their last seven home games at St Andrew’s. However, bettors who still want to back a home win for Birmingham vs Huddersfield can pick up betting odds of up to 2.60 if the Blues are successful.

Just like in the season opener against Luton Town, head coach John Eustace can draw on a full squad for the second matchday. The 42-year-old is likely to start the match against Huddersfield Town with the same starting eleven that scored against Luton last week.

Predicted Birmingham line-up:
Ruddy; Sanderson, Roberts, Trusty; Colin, James, Woods, Placheta; Bacuna; Deeney, Hogan

Last Birmingham games:

Championship
30/07/2022 – Luton 0 – 0 Birmingham

Friendly club matches
23/07/2022 – Birmingham 2 – 2 Rayo Vallecano

20/07/2022 – Cheltenham 1 – 0 Birmingham

16/07/2022 – Alvechurch 4 – 2 Birmingham

16/07/2022 – Burton 1 – 2 Birmingham

Huddersfield – Statistics & current form

Huddersfield Town narrowly missed out on promotion last season. The Terriers failed in the promotion playoffs only in the final to Notthingham Forest. This was the third time in a row that they missed out on promotion to the English top flight. The last time the Terriers were in the Premier League was in the 2018/19 season.

Since then, Huddersfield Town have been languishing in the second division. In the first two seasons after their relegation from the English top flight, Huddersfield had to fight to stay in the Championship. The 2021/22 season was therefore all the more surprising, with the Terriers also having realistic chances of direct promotion at times.

This season, Huddersfield Town are once again among the narrow circle of potential promotion candidates. However, the Terriers got off to a bad start with a 1-0 defeat against Burnley FC and have yet to pick up a point on the first matchday of the 2022/23 Championship. That makes Friday’s game at Birmingham City all the more important.

Did the Terriers prevail again at St. Andrew’s?

Last season Huddersfield Town were one of the strongest away teams in the Championship. In a total of 23 games, Huddersfield picked up 37 points. Only Bournemouth AFC and Fulham FC picked up more points away from home in that period. Huddersfield also celebrated one of their ten away victories in the 2021/22 Championship at Birmingham City.

If the next success at St. Andrew’s is on the cards, Birmingham vs. Huddersfield odds of 2.90 are paid out for tip 2. It should be noted, however, that Huddersfield have not won their first game of the season away from home since 2017/18.

Like the hosts from Birmingham, Huddersfield are also currently spared from personnel worries. The Terriers go into the encounter at the Blues with their best line-up. However, changes in the starting eleven cannot be ruled out, especially as the attack left a weak impression on the first matchday. Over 90 minutes, there were only two shot attempts from the Terriers offence.

Predicted Huddersfield line-up:
Nicholls; Turton, Edmonds-Green, Lees, Ruffels; Russell, Hogg, Holmes; Thomas, Ward, Koroma

Last matches played by Huddersfield:

Championship
30/07/2022 – Huddersfield 0 – 1 Burnley

Club Friendlies
23/07/2022 – Bolton 1 – 1 Huddersfield

23/07/2022 – Tranmere 1 – 4 Huddersfield

16/07/2022 – Doncaster 1 – 0 Huddersfield

16/07/2022 – Harrogate Town 1 – 0 Huddersfield

Birmingham – Huddersfield Direct comparison / H2H record

In the last 109 meetings between these two clubs, Huddersfield Town lead the head-to-head comparison against the Blues with a record of 40-34-35. An average of 2.55 goals per game has been scored. However, bets on less than 2.5 goals in the match have paid off three times in a row recently.

Last season saw a goalless draw between the two clubs at Huddersfield Town. However, the Terriers won 2-0 away at Birmingham. Huddersfield thus remained unbeaten against Birmingham City for the third time in a row.

Birmingham – Huddersfield Tip

Birmingham go into their second game of the 2022/23 Championship season with a broad chest after picking up a point at Luton. The Blues impressed last week, especially from a defensive point of view, and kept the offence at bay from the semi-finalists of the 2022 promotion play-offs. If Birmingham build on that, there is a realistic chance of them picking up a point on matchday two as well.

Huddersfield Town, the Blues’ upcoming opponents, started the league competition with a defeat after all. The Terriers lost their season opener against PL relegated Burnley FC with 0:1 and disappointed especially from an offensive point of view. Over 90 minutes, the Huddersfield attack still only managed two shot attempts.

Reviewing the performances on the first matchday of the 2022/23 Championship, it is not at all surprising that Birmingham City go into Friday’s game as slight favourites. Like the bookmakers, we see the Blues as favourites and are leaning towards a home win in the matchday opener in the second week of the Championship.