Season opener in the English football lower house
With the end of July, the ball is rolling again in the motherland of football. Although fans of the Premier League will have to wait a little longer, the lower tier will open the 2022/23 season. 46 regular match days, including play-offs at the end, will again be on the programme in the leg-hungry Championship. The new season will open at the John Smith’s Stadium, with hosts Huddersfield and Burnley facing off.
The Premier League dream burst for home side Huddersfield at Wembley Stadium. They lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest in the play-off final. The Clarets from Burnley were still represented in the top division last season, but with four winless games at the end of the season, relegation could no longer be avoided.
For both teams, the goal is accordingly simple – promotion is in their sights. A difficult task, as this is the goal of half the league. Moreover, the Championship is a league in which the playing component is not the only deciding factor. Commitment and passion are at least as important.
The change from “playing football” (Premier League) to “fighting football” (Championship) is not without its challenges, which is why a tip on the visitors between Huddersfield and Burnley is also viewed critically. Kick-off for the 2022/23 Championship season is Friday night at 9pm.
Huddersfield – Statistics & current form
The Terriers played an outstanding spring 2022 under Spanish head coach Carlos Corberan. At one stage Huddersfield were only eleventh in the Championship, but consistently strong results in the current calendar year saw them fight their way up to third in the table.
In terms of points lost, only Nottingham Forest were better than the Terriers in 2022. And it was precisely this opponent who destroyed the big dream of promotion. After beating Luton Town in the play-off semi-final, an own goal from Chelsea loanee Levi Cowill inflicted a bitter 1-0 final defeat.
Ryan Schofield takes over
The missed promotion has left its mark, as this was not only the last game for head coach Corberan, but also in terms of personnel, important players are no longer available this season (Levi Cowill, Carel Eiting, Harry Toffolo, Lewis O’Brien). There are no big names among the newcomers, Huddersfield’s budget does not allow for any big leaps. All the more surprising are the consistently good performances.
Whether promotion will be an issue again in 2022/23 is still difficult to assess. However, it is certainly an advantage for the majority of the squad that they know the conditions in the Championship. A league in which traditionally only a few goals are scored and bets on an under 2.5 are often the right choice. This tip is also recommended for the opener between Huddersfield and Burnley.
On the bench for the Terriers is 42-year-old Danny Schofield. The former professional has spent the majority of his career at Huddersfield and was most recently coach of the U19 division. A man who knows the club inside out and will surely integrate some youngsters into the first team. Given the given home strength (13-6-4 record last year) a positive start is quite likely.
Predicted Huddersfield line-up:
Nicholls – Ruffels, Pearson, Lees, Turton – High, Hogg – Holmes, Anjorin, Thomas – Koroma
Last matches played by Huddersfield:
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
12/07/2022 – Huddersfield 3 – 1 Morecambe
Burnley – Statistics & current form
In mid-April, the club’s management ensured a highly unpopular decision was made at the Clarets from Burnley. After almost ten years in charge, Sean Dyche was relieved of his duties. Dyche was not only a long-time coach at Burnley, he was also an absolute popular figure.
There is even a pub in the town named after the coach: “The Royal Dyche”. Not only Burnley fans criticised the new club management, but also many experts like Jamie Carragher called the dismissal a joke.
However, with ten points from the first four games under his successor Mike Jackson, the move seemed justified. However, only one point was collected in the last four games, which ultimately resulted in relegation to the Championship after all. Fireman Jackson is also history, with Vincent Kompany taking over at Turf Moor.
Kompany is playing his contacts
Fundamentally, the style in the Championship suits Burnley to a tee. The Clarets were an extremely unpleasant opponent in the Premier League, among others Jürgen Klopp complained several times about the Clarets’ tough style. However, the relegation has also resulted in upheaval and many stars have left the club. Goalkeeper Nick Pope, Ben Mee, James Tarkowski, Nathan Collins (all defenders) and Wout Weghorst are no longer part of the squad.
On the side of the new arrivals, the Kompany signature is clearly visible. Goalkeeper Muric as well as loan players Harwood-Bellis and CJ Egan-Riley were signed from his ex-club Manchester City, Josh Cullen comes from Anderlecht, where Kompany was also active. Burnley will have a new look in 2022/23 and, due to the now much younger squad, will probably also place more emphasis on more attractive football instead of “kick-and-rush”.
Whether the new philosophy will take hold from the start is certainly doubtful. In terms of quality, the Burnley squad is certainly stronger than that of the Terriers. Nevertheless, at this stage of the season there is still a big question mark over the newly formed team. The home side have already internalised certain automatisms, which is why the odds between Huddersfield and Burnley are quite interesting when betting on the home side.
Predicted line-up of Burnley:
Muric – Taylor, Harwood-Bellis, Long, Roberts – Cork, Brownhill – McNeil, Cullen, Cornet – Vydra
Last matches played by Burnley:
Friendly club matches
16/07/2022 – Shrewsbury 1 – 3 Burnley
01/07/2022 – Burnley 1 – 0 Rochdale
Premier League
22/05/2022 – Burnley 1 – 2 Newcastle
20/05/2022 – Aston Villa 1 – 1 Burnley
15/05/2022 – Tottenham 1 – 0 Burnley
Huddersfield – Burnley Direct Comparison / H2H Record
The last time these two sides faced each other in the league was in the 2018/19 season. There was a 1-1 draw at Burnley’s Turf Moor, with Burnley winning the clash 2-1 at the John Smith’s Stadium.
This was not the last meeting between the two teams, however, as last season the blades crossed in the FA Cup at the beginning of January. The then Premier League club Burnley had home advantage and took an early lead, only to be knocked out by conceding two goals in the last 15 minutes.
Huddersfield – Burnley Tip
For both teams, last season ended in bitter disappointment, which resulted in a certain amount of upheaval. Naturally, this is more pronounced after relegation and therefore the guests from Burnley will certainly show a completely different appearance than last season.
The team has become younger and will try to play more attractive football with Vincent Kompany. The adjustment to the leg-heavy Championship is not to be underestimated, however, so betting on the visitors is discouraged between Huddersfield and Burnley.
Huddersfield have certainly lost quality due to one or two departures, but the Terriers are anyway a team that never convinced with big names, but came to success as a strong collective. Their experience in the Championship is certainly a big advantage, as is their very good home record at the John Smith’s Stadium.
As a result, the forecast between Huddersfield and Burnley is for a home win with five units. Less risky is the bet on the Draw-No-Bet 1; interesting odds are also offered here.
