Championship Predictions > May 13th - 17th

[StevieDay1983]

[StevieDay1983]

The Championship Play-Off Semi-Finals are coming up this weekend and one of these four teams will be playing in the Premier League next season. Let's see what bets you have lined up for both the first and second legs of these ties! 

[malabgd]

Luton Town vs Huddersfield

2022-05-13T20:45+02:00

 

Luton Town

Doubtful: Fred Onyedinma (29/3 f), Luke Berry (13/6 m), Elijah Adebayo (40/16 f, top scorer)

Out (injuries/other): Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu (34/1 m), James Shea (19/0 g), Gabriel Osho (23/0 d), Jed Steer (3/0 g)

Suspended: -

 

Huddersfield

Doubtful: Lewis O’Brien (43/3 m)

Out (injuries/other): Sorba Thomas (43/3 f), Matty Pearson (37/3 d), Ryan Schofield (2/0 g), Rolando Aarons (1/0 f), Alex Vallejo (5/1 m)

Suspended: -

 

Daily updated injuries and suspensions information from more than 100 football leagues and competitions worldwide at: www.injuriesandsuspensions.com

 

Overall Stats
Luton Town 23 home games	Huddersfield 23 away games

1.6	Goals scored per game	1.3
1.0	Goals conceded per game	1.0
48%	Clean sheets	35%
78%	Team scored	70%
43%	Team scored twice	39%
30%	Scored in both halves	22%
61%	Goal in both halves	39%

[ALEXXXXXXXX]

Huddersfield Town @3.25

Analysis:

Lunton and Huddersfield will play for EFL championship play-off at Kenilworth Road on Friday.

Luton Town
They return to the winning way by a 1-0 victory over Reading in the last game. As they do not play well on defence, they focus more on offence, with 1.37 scoring goal and 1.2 conceding goals on average. But here is a lack of stability on their offence.

Huddersfield Town
They are in form, which have been unbeaten for seven matches even get a four-match winning streak. They are the favourites to upgrade. In addition, they play well as the visitor, with 74% unbeaten rate.

[StevieDay1983]

Luton vs Huddersfield

Two of this season's over-achievers in the Championship will go toe-to-toe in the play-off semi-final first leg when Luton play Huddersfield in a 7:45pm BST kick-off on Friday night from Kenilworth Road. Neither of these two teams spent a great deal of money on their squads last summer and both were tipped by many to struggle. Now, they potentially stand three games away from the Premier League.

Luton are aiming to make a return to the top flight of English football for the first time since 1992 and the fact they have defied the odds to finish the season in 6th place and reach the play-offs is an incredible feat mainly engineered by manager Nathan Jones and his backroom staff. A very limited budget and the team being non-league as recently as 2014 has made this a real fairytale story. The Hatters ended their league campaign in decent form with just 1 loss from their last 5 league games. Home form has been solid for Luton this season with the team losing just 1 of their last 13 home league games. They have also conceded just 1 goal in their previous 3 league games at home is also an impressive feat.

Huddersfield might have been a Premier League team recently having been relegated only back in 2018/19 but their financial situation and general stability in the Championship has been uncertain over the past couple of seasons. Head coach Carlos Corberan just about kept the team in the second tier last season but he maintained the support of the majority of Terriers fans for his playing style and managerial approach. The faith that chairman Phil Hodgkinson kept in the Spaniard has been rewarded with the team finishing in 3rd position in the league. The team ended the season strongly going their last 7 league games undefeated including delivering 6 victories. It also included winning their last 3 away league matches.

This will be a riveting first leg game with both teams knowing a strong advantage could be gained from winning this one. Three of the last four meetings between these two clubs have ended in a draw and the manner in which they both ended the season suggests it'll be hard to separate them here. Huddersfield are unbeaten in 4 of their last 5 visits to this venue but Luton will have a raucous home crowd behind them. I have to back a low-scoring draw.

Draw @ 3.12 with VBet

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.57 with SBK

[StevieDay1983]

Sheffield United vs Nottingham Forest

The second game in the Championship play-off semi-final first legs is coming up at 3pm BST on Saturday afternoon when rivals Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest go head-to-head at Bramall Lane. Both of these two teams had started the season poorly but change of managers helped to see them storm up the table and gatecrash the top six in the latter stages of the campaign.

Sheffield United are enjoying life under Paul Heckingbottom despite the former Leeds and Barnsley head coach not exactly being the fans' number one choice. The Blades have risen up from flirting with relegation to finishing in 5th position and comfortably inside the top six. United endured some inconsistent results during February and March that threw their play-off hopes into doubt but an unbeaten run of four league games including three wins to end their campaign was enough to get the job done. Home form has been the building block for the team this season with them losing just 1 of their last 15 home league games. It's also been 5 clean sheets from their last 6 home league matches.

Nottingham Forest will still be scratching their heads wondering how on earth they've gone from being rock bottom of the division when head coach Steve Cooper arrived to ending the campaign in 4th place and only narrowly missing out on automatic promotion. Had the team won that crunch game away with Bournemouth instead of losing then it might have been a very different end to the season for the Tricky Trees. You have to wonder how much that Bournemouth defeat has taken out of the players with the team being held to a 1-1 draw away to Hull in their final league game of the season. They also come to a venue where they have lost 3 of their last 5 visits.

You have to say that Nottingham Forest were probably the firm favourites heading into this clash if it was taking place a few weeks ago but you wonder how much missing out on automatic promotion will hit the team. Sheffield United had looked to be tailing off but they appear to have got a second wind and head into this game unbeaten against Forest at home in the last 8 home encounters. I have a feeling it could be Forest that progresses over the two legs and they'll do well to get a draw here.

Draw @ 3.20 with Betfred

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.61 with VBet

[newteech]

14 hours ago, StevieDay1983 said:

Luton vs Huddersfield

Draw @ 3.12 with VBet

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.57 with SBK

1-1 FT

Stevie please know your efforts are always much appreciated!  

[yossa6133]

We looked very tired against Fulham and Bournemouth so hopefully the rest will have done us the world of good and freshened us up. I'd certainly take a draw from the first leg, so hopefully Stevie is right again ?.

[StevieDay1983]

[StevieDay1983]

Huddersfield vs Luton

The first game from the Championship Play-Off Semi-Final second legs takes place on Monday evening with Huddersfield hosting Luton in a 7:45pm BST kick-off from the John Smith's Stadium. It was a riveting first leg which saw the teams battle out a 1-1 draw. It'll be intriguing to see how both teams approach this second encounter. Away goals don't count so the tie is finely balanced.

Huddersfield will be disappointed that they couldn't hold on to their 1-0 lead in the first leg after Danel Sinani opened the scoring after just 12 minutes. Head coach Carlos Corberan will be reluctantly satisfied that his team managed to come away from Kenilworth Road with a draw though. They now welcome Luton to a stadium where Huddersfield have only lost 4 of their 23 home league matches so far this season. Playing at home in a play-off second leg can often feel like an advantage but a lot will depend on the nerves of the home crowd. The Terriers will need to start in a positive way and if they can get the first goal then they should go on and qualify for the final.

Luton will be pleased to have grabbed a draw from the first leg thanks to Sonny Bradley's 30th minute equaliser. The Hatters had turned their home ground into a bit of a fortress this season so not getting the win will frustrate Nathan Jones and his team but the game is still open. There is a lot of pressure on Luton to not concede first here. The team averages 1.13 goals scored on their travels so if Huddersfield do grab that first goal then Luton will need to buck that trend against a team that have been superb on home turf this season. Luton did also lose 2 of their last 3 away league matches failing to even score in those two defeats.

I am really hoping that Luton progress here. Jones is a Cardiff fan and a Merthyr boy so would love to see them do well. I can't help but feel that Huddersfield are slightly stronger and will take advantage of their home role. I think the rigors of the gruelling season have taken their toll on the smaller Luton squad and you have to wonder how much more they have left in the tank. I think Huddersfield will likely progress and they could well do it within 90 minutes too.

Huddersfield to Win @ 2.29 with VBet

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.70 with Coral

[yossa6133]

Might give 0-0 a try around 7.5/1, Luton will probably be playing for penalties and they can spoil a game pretty effectively.

[StevieDay1983]

Nottingham Forest vs Sheffield United

The second game from the Championship Play-Off Semi-Final second legs is a clash between Nottingham Forest, supported by our very own @yossa6133, and Sheffield United, backed by my long time friend Jon, in a 7:45pm BST kick-off from the City Ground. The home team come into this game with a narrow 2-1 lead from the first leg so you have to think it really is theirs to win now... or is it?!

Nottingham Forest have turned their season around in dramatic fashion under Steve Cooper and momentum is clearly back with the Tricky Trees now. Goals from Jack Colback and Brennan Johnson helped the team to a first leg win at Bramall Lane and they simply have to avoid defeat on home turf in this second leg to progress to the final. You can argue that Forest should really have put this tie to bed already after their dominance in the first leg. Home form for Forest is nothing short of impressive recently with the team winning each of their last 4 home matches and have won their last 8 league games on home turf. Another impressive statistic is that Forest have scored an average of 1.9 goals at home this season.

Sheffield United appeared to look overwhelmed in their first leg defeat. Sander Berge's late goal restored hope within the Blades ranks but they'll be wary of the threat that awaits them after taking a bit of a pounding in their own backyard. Still, play-off games can be equally as decided by wasted chances as they are by chances that teams take. The Blades have only managed 1 win in their last 7 away games so that poor away form will need to be turned around rapidly by Paul Heckingbottom's men. Nothing less than a victory will do here. It doesn't help that Sheffield United haven't won at the City Ground since a 1-0 win back on 9th December, 2008.

Right, so Sheffield United have only won 1 of the last 7 meetings with Nottingham Forest. After the first leg, I'm not sure there's much evidence to suggest that will change here. Forest are looking like the far superior team and I really can't find a reason to put my money behind the away team here. I think there is a big onus on United to open the scoring otherwise the tie is dead. I feel it is all but dead already though.

Nottingham Forest to Win @ 2.38 with SBK

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.85 with SBK

[yossa6133]

Tie should have been over as you say. But judged on the first leg it's hard to see Forest not winning and the price looks generous. 

I prefer over 2.5 goals though, Sheffield will go for it if still behind in the 2nd half and we can pick them off, so either way I'd expect goals.

[harry_rag]

Gibbs-White 4/1 anytime PP looks too big to me, though they aren't exactly letting me have a "proper" bet on it.

[StevieDay1983]

20 hours ago, yossa6133 said:

Tie should have been over as you say. But judged on the first leg it's hard to see Forest not winning and the price looks generous. 

I prefer over 2.5 goals though, Sheffield will go for it if still behind in the 2nd half and we can pick them off, so either way I'd expect goals.

Congratulations, @yossa6133! You must be buzzing! Would like to see you guys go up because I'd love to see Brennan Johnson tear up the Premier League. Big fan of his! Kept tabs on him for years due to his involvement in the Welsh system. One of our most talented prospects from recent years and on the same level (if not better!) than Aaron Ramsey at this age.

[yossa6133]

Cheers, no fingernails left today but definitely buzzing! Johnson has been excellent, think the only way we hold on to him is by going up.