English Football League / Alan Dudman / 19 January 2012 /

In demand striker Jordan Rhodes gets to showcase his talent to the nation on Saturday evening and Alan Dudman believes his club Huddersfield will secure another vital three points.

Huddersfield v Brentford, KO: Saturday 17:20, live on Sky Sports 2, Match Odds: Huddersfield [1.77], Brentford [5.2], The Draw [4.0]

Will Huddersfield be able to keep their supreme goalscorer Jordan Rhodes during the transfer window? I for one hope so, as the 21-year-old was one of my picks to bag the most goals in League One back in August at a price of [11.0].

Rhodes has found the net an astonishing 27 times this term - including five hat-tricks and a call-up to the Scottish national team. It's no surprise to see Premier League giants Spurs and Newcastle reportedly linked, with West Ham and Southampton also rumoured to be amongst the potential buyers. Incidentally, the striker now trades at [1.33] for the division's golden boot.

The Scot has improved his build-up play and fits well into an excellent Huddersfield team, and it's a critical season for manager Lee Clark to take this expensively assembled squad into the Championship (where they belong). Last Saturday the Terriers ground out a 1-0 win over Oldham, the sort of scrappy three points which shows the other side of their play. They are unbeaten in their last five, and have moved up to third accruing 50 points.

Brentford meanwhile have earned themselves the tag of 'draw specialists' recently, boasting a curious record of five stalemates from their last six games. Manager Uwe Rosler speaks of a footballing philosophy, but I am not totally sure what it is. During Saturday's 0-0 scrap with Walsall, the Bees ended up going too long and the game was poor.

Rosler famously parked the bus at Sheffield Wednesday earlier in the season, a formation which Owls boss Gary Megson wittily christened a new 9-1 tactical system. But he has a point, Brentford are never adventurous away from home and have scored just 14 goals on their travels. On the plus side, they've only conceded 12. I think the visitors might abandon their 4-4-2 for a more pragmatic approach, something Huddersfield are used to, having been involved with several Under 2.5 Goals affairs against such teams as Oldham, Carlisle, Chesterfield and Walsall.

Back Under 2.5 Goals @ [2.04]
Back Huddersfield 1-0 Correct Score @ [8.0]

Preston v Leyton Orient, KO: Saturday 15:00, Match Odds: Preston [2.1] Leyton Orient [3.8], The Draw [3.5]

Preston confirmed Graham Westley as their new manager last week, and the former Stevenage boss watched from the stands as his new club triumphed 3-2 over Wycombe last Saturday. The defending would have given Westley all sorts of headaches, with the opposition striker Marcello Trotta dragging his markers all over the place.

The Lillywhites are one of the big guns in the league, and it's a huge job for Westley who left Stevenage having guided them to an impressive fifth place in the table. North End supporters shouldn't expect too much football from the 43-year-old who based his tactics and plans with his previous club on fitness, strength, physicality, organisation and defence.

Quite how Orient failed to beat Chesterfield last weekend is a mystery. They played some good football, hit the woodwork and scored a screamer. But they were held 1-1 by a side that are winless in 17 games. The Londoners have strengthened their squad recently with defensive signings Dean Leacock and Syam Ben Youssef, but are still missing their captain Stephen Dawson through injury.

I fancy Preston to be really organised here with it being Westley's official first game in charge. Orient can be a tidy side away from home having picked up 15 points on their travels this season, but may find it extremely tough to break the hosts down.

Back Preston to beat Leyton Orient @ [2.1]
Back Yes to Preston Clean Sheet @ [3.2]

Oldham v Exeter, KO: Saturday 15:00, Match Odds: Oldham [2.0] Exeter [4.2], The Draw [3.5]

Two Exeter directors have flown to Rio de Janeiro this week in a bid to set up a match against Brazil, a story you can read about more here. However, the less glamorous adventure to Boundary Park is more pressing, with the Grecians unbeaten in their last three.

Oldham need to start picking up some points, as their current league position does not reflect fair on the side. The Latics are limited but can defend well, and are best when dominating the midfield with their bite. Manager Paul Dickov got his tactics spot on last Saturday, but they were unfortunate to lose 1-0 at Huddersfield as they were the better team.

In short, Exeter have improved at home, but still look a soft touch on their travels. They have gifted goals too often, and never look a team that will score three or four. Oldham should be strong enough to force and collect the three points.

Back Oldham to beat Exeter @ [2.0]
Back Oldham 1-0 @ [7.8] & 2-0 @ [10.0] Correct Scores

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