Will Luton fail again in the promotion play-offs?

Two of three teams have already been promoted from the Championship to the Premier League. The final promoted team will now be determined in the promotion play-offs. In the middle of it are Luton and Huddersfield, who meet in the first semi-final on Friday night. In the first leg, the Hatters from Luton benefit from home advantage and are minimally favoured.

However, betting on a home win involves a lot of risk. In the first and second legs of the regular season, Luton failed miserably against Huddersfield Town’s defensive bulwark. Head coach Nathan Jones’ side failed to score in both matches. It’s possible that Luton’s attack will be on the back foot again this time around.

Although Luton haven’t won a home game against Huddersfield since August 2019, the Hatters go into Friday’s game at Kenilworth Road confident. Jones’ side have lost just one home game at home in the Championship this calendar year

If they can add to their tally at Kenilworth Road with another win, Luton v Huddersfield offers betting odds of up to 2.40 for Tip 1. However, the visitors have been in fine form, winning six of their last seven matches in the league – including the second leg against Luton, mind you.

Luton – Statistics & current form

Luton have been one of the positive surprises of the current season so far and have deservedly qualified for the promotion play-offs. As sixth in the Championship table, Luton got a hammer draw in the semi-finals and will already meet the in-form visitors from Huddersfield on Friday evening.

Luton have not won a competitive game against their semi-final opponents since July 2020. In their last four matches, Luton have a record of 0-3-1 against Huddersfield, with their only defeat coming in the second leg of the current season. It was also the second match in a row in which Luton failed to score against Huddersfield.

Encouraging at least is the home advantage at Kenilworth Road. The Hatters were already one of the strongest teams at home in the Championship during the regular season, losing only four of their 23 home games. Most recently, Luton even remained unbeaten in their own stadium five times in a row.

No more gunpowder in the Luton attack?

Ahead of the start of the promotion play-offs, the Hatters’ offence has not left a good impression in recent weeks. Luton have never scored more than two goals in a match for seven competitive games in a row. The last time the two-goal mark was broken was at home against Millwall (2:2), since then there has never been more than one goal to celebrate.

It is therefore natural to predict that Luton vs. Huddersfield will be a low-scoring encounter. Bets on this have already paid off in both the first and second legs between the two clubs. The last match at Kenilworth Road even ended in a goalless draw.

Head coach Nathan Jones will still have to do without Mpanzu and Adebayo for Friday’s match against the Terriers. The latter was the most prolific scorer in the Hatters’ ranks with 16 goals in the regular season. There are no other absentees in the Luton ranks.

Predicted Luton line-up:
Ingram; Burke, Bradley, Naismith; Bree, Lansbury, Clark, Campbell, Bell; Jerome, Cornick

Last matches played by Luton:

Championship
07/05/2022 – Luton 1 – 0 Reading

02/05/2022 – Fulham 7 – 0 Luton

23/04/2022 – Luton 1 – 1 Blackpool

18/04/2022 – Cardiff 0 – 1 Luton

15/04/2022 – Luton 1 – 0 Nottingham Forest

Huddersfield – Statistics & current form

Huddersfield are on course for the Premier League and are one of the big favourites in the play-offs. Already in the regular season the Terriers sniffed at promotion. At one point, the direct promotion spot was even within reach. Because Huddersfield stumbled in the second half of the season, they missed out on the direct promotion spot.

The Terriers will now make their next attempt in the play-offs. Ahead of Friday’s game against Luton, Huddersfield have already built up their confidence in the regular season and, given their recent run of form, go into the semi-final second leg in fine fettle. Huddersfield have won six of their last seven Championship matches.

Most recently, they have won four in a row. Huddersfield have scored two goals in each of those four matches, and head coach Carlos Corberán’s side have also kept their clean sheet twice in that period. If they can continue their recent winning streak, it is not out of the question that Huddersfield will also overcome the hurdle at Kenilworth Road.

Will a fourth away win in a row be on the cards?

Huddersfield have won their last three matches away from home, including the difficult away game at Middlesbrough FC. Overall, Huddersfield have a record of 10-7-6 after 23 away matches at league level, making them the fourth best away team in the Championship. Only Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham picked up more points away from home.

However, Huddersfield have not won a match at Kenilworth Road against Friday’s opponents since May 2008. There has been one defeat and two draws in the last three away games. With another draw, Huddersfield would be well on course for a place in the final.

Head coach Corberán has no absentees for Friday’s game at Luton and will start with his best line-up. In keeping with the motto “never change a winning team”, no major changes from the last starting eleven are to be expected.

Huddersfield’s line-up:
Nicholls; Turton, Lees, Colwill, Toffolo; Russell, Hogg, O’Brien; Sinani, Ward, Holmes

Last matches played by Huddersfield:

Championship
07/05/2022 – Huddersfield 2 – 0 Bristol City

30/04/2022 – Coventry 1 – 2 Huddersfield

23/04/2022 – Huddersfield 2 – 1 Barnsley

18/04/2022 – Middlesboro 0 – 2 Huddersfield

15/04/2022 – Huddersfield 2 – 2 Queens Park Rangers

Luton – Huddersfield Direct Comparison / H2H Record

In the last 14 competitive matches between Luton vs Huddersfield, the direct comparison is even. Both clubs have recorded five wins each, with four other matches ending in a draw. One of the two draws took place in the first half of the current season. Luton held the Terriers to a goalless draw at Kenilworth Road.

Huddersfield, on the other hand, won the second leg 2-0 just under a month ago, making it the fifth time in a row that a prediction of Under 2.5 goals has come true for Luton vs Huddersfield. The last time the three-goal mark was broken between the two clubs was in August 2019.

Luton – Huddersfield Tip

Luton have yet to win a match against Huddersfield this season and therefore go into the semi-finals of the ongoing promotion play-offs as underdogs. It is therefore all the more important for the Hatters to use home advantage and master the Friday match. Away from home, after all, the fourth strongest home team in the league faces a difficult task in the second leg.

At home, Luton have lost just four of 23 home games at Kenilworth Road this season. Most recently, Luton have even gone five home games in a row without defeat, so they will be confident going into the home game against the Terriers.

The visitors will not be hiding at Kenilworth Road, however. Huddersfield have won six of their last seven matches and are brimming with confidence. In addition, Huddersfield mastered the second round match against Luton just a month ago.

We therefore expect a hard-fought match in which the visitors have a realistic chance of winning. We tend to expect a low-scoring encounter. Bets on under 2.5 goals have already paid off in the first and second legs of the two clubs.

For Luton vs. Huddersfield, our betting odds are on under 2.5 goals in the match. We are betting five out of ten possible units for this.