Championship Midweek Tips: Terriers to turn on the style against the Robins

Robins' winless run to continue

Huddersfield 2.8415/8 v Bristol City 2.789/5; The Draw 3.3512/5
Tuesday, 19:00

There appears to be a growing confidence in the Huddersfield camp, with coach Carlos Corberan clearly beginning to get his message across to the players. After back-to-back defeats, both by a single goal, the Terriers bounced back in style against Millwall at the weekend, securing an unlikely 3-0 win at the Den. It was just the second time since late February that the West Yorkshire outfit have scored more than two goals in a game, and the Spaniard was visibly delighted with his side's efforts. Corberan was also pleased with the way his side took control of the game, and enjoyed seeing his team 'play with a little more personality'.

Huddersfield had put together an eye-catching four match unbeaten run in October before crashing to narrow defeats against Preston and Birmingham. However, despite those losses, the 37-year old was quick to praise the second half performance of his side in both of those fixtures. The Terriers had 77% possession at St Andrews, yet they were beaten by a far more streetwise and combative Blues side.

Fans were understandably delighted with this weekend's performance with many describing the display as 'hugely encouraging'. With just a single goal separating the two sides going into the final five minutes, the Terriers took the handbrake off, and instead of sitting back and defending their slender lead, they attacked in numbers, and it was a gamble which duly paid off. Lewis O'Brien's well-taken goal was the perfect way to cap off another superb performance from the academy graduate, and he is just one of a number of players who caught the eye in Bermondsey. Josh Koroma is visibly growing in confidence with every passing game, whilst Naby Sarr was a colossus at the back. Jonathan Hogg, who is one of just three players to have started every single match so far this season, also put in a suitably industrious performance in the centre of the park. The former Watford man's willingness to do the dirty work helps to free up the more creative players in the side, and this allows them to operate with a little more freedom.

Although the club still lack a regular and reliable goalscorer, they have recruited smartly at the other end of the field, and their defence has looked relatively solid in recent weeks. Since crashing to a 3-0 defeat at Brentford in mid-September, they've conceded just six goals in seven matches, and have collected two clean sheets along the way. There is still work to do for Corberan and his coaching staff, but they look far more cohesive than last season, and although the former Leeds coach is prone to rotating his XI, the side has looked fairly settled in recent weeks.

Despite a promising start to the campaign, Bristol City's recent form has fallen off a cliff. The Robins haven't been helped by injuries in key areas of the field, however, fan's patience is beginning to wear thin with rookie coach Dean Holden.

Seven days ago, they troubled Bournemouth on a number of occasions, yet they were unable find a way past the Cherries back-line. At the weekend, they fell behind after just two minutes to in-form Norwich, giving them a huge mountain to climb. Another error-strewn performance from Taylor Moore didn't help their cause, and the Bristol City defence struggled to get to grips with the movement of Teemu Pukki and the craft of Emi Buendia.

After plundering eight goals in their opening four fixtures, Holden's men have netted just four times in their subsequent five outings. Nahki Wells, who looks disinterested at times, spurned a golden opportunity from the penalty spot, whilst Chris Martin struggled to get into the game. Some fans have commented that there isn't enough creativity in the centre of the park, with Chris Brunt and Callum O'Dowda often struggling to influence contests. With Adam Nagy on the bench alongside Han-Noah Massengo and Tyreeq Bakinson, the former assistant has options at his disposal, yet he often seems reluctant to tinker with his starting XI.

The inexperienced boss needs to turn things around quickly, however, he's coming up against a side who are undoubtedly improving. Huddersfield are the bigger price of the pair at 2.8415/8 and given their recent performances, they are surely worth supporting to clinch back-to-back Championship successes.

Millers and Hatters to share the spoils

Rotherham 2.427/5 v Luton 3.259/4; The Draw 3.185/40
Wednesday, 19:45

There was very little to say about Rotherham's tame defeat in the Potteries on Saturday afternoon. The match was a dull spectacle, with the swirling Staffordshire wind doing its best to disrupt the rhythm of both sides. The game was decided on a single error with Stoke's James McClean capitalising on some mis-control to fire the hosts in front.

It was a second successive defeat on the road for Paul Warne's side with yet another tepid away performance preventing them from taking anything from the game. The Millers failed to register a single shot on target during the 90 minutes with Freddie Ladapo spurning their best opportunity. There were very few standout performances at the weekend, although Dan Berlasercontinues to impress in the centre of the park.

The South Yorkshire side's home displays have been relatively encouraging with their 3-0 thumping of Sheffield Wednesday undoubtedly the highlight of their campaign so far. They also held Huddersfield to a 1-1 draw here at the beginning of October and were the better side in their 1-0 defeat to away specialists Millwall.

Warne continually references the effort of his players, and he was once again delighted with the willingness shown by his players, despite the testing conditions. However, his side lack a little quality in the final third, and one or two fans have called for Kyle Vassell to be given a chance to impress. Kieran Sadlier, who was prolific in League One last season is another option, whilst loanee George Hirst appears to have a little more composure than the aforementioned Ladapo, despite having yet to find the back of the net at the New York Stadium.

The hosts are likely to give 100% throughout the 90 minutes, and they rarely make it easy for the opposition. Even in defeat, they are often only beaten by fine margins, and they gave Norwich a real scare here, despite going down to ten men with 20 minutes left on the clock.

Luton put in arguably their worst performance of the campaign at the weekend as they were easily swept aside by a classy Brentford outfit. The Hatters are hard to predict, although they do have the ability and personnel to match any side in the division. However, concerns about the lack of firepower have come to the fore in recent weeks, with Danny Hylton struggling to impact games. James Collins came off the bench on Saturday afternoon, and he should be fit and ready to come into the XI for this one. With Kazenga Lua Lua also in line for a recall, Hatters supporters can expect to see far more from their side in the final third this time around. Jordan Clark continues to look sharp, whilstKiernan Dewsbury-Hall was the only player who looked capable of making something happen at the weekend.

Despite this, the visitors have scored just four times in their last six matches, and have drawn three blanks during that sequence. Luton need to improve on their recent performances, and Nathan Jones is likely to have his side suitably well-drilled and ready for this crucial clash. The Welshman has an excellent record since re-joining the club, and his side have been particularly effective on the road.

Although the Millers have played far fewer games over the last twelve months than their opponents, only Norwich and Millwall have beaten them here in league fixtures since December 7th 2019, and Luton may have to settle for a point. There will be plenty of endeavour on show, however, quality in the final third may be in short supply. The draw at 3.185/40 looks the best option in this midweek match-up.

Reading and PNE to exchange blows at the Madejski

Reading 2.6413/8 v Preston 3.052/1; The Draw 3.185/40
Wednesday, 19:00

Veljko Paunovic suffered his first defeat since arriving in Berkshire this summer as Reading went down 3-2 at St.Andrews on Friday evening. The Serbian admitted that he was disappointed, however, he took plenty of positives from the performance, and immediately set his sights on this midweek clash with Preston. He spoke about the importance of 'recovering bodies and minds' although his small squad is beginning to look a little stretched. With John Swift, Ovie Ejaria and potentially Liam Moore all on the sidelines, the Royals are a little thin on the ground coming into this contest.

Despite the injury issues, there is a sense of togetherness around the club this season, and the mentality has clearly shifted. Last season, they would have expected to lose games, however, this time around, the coaching staff and players are exuding positivity and appear to be classifying Friday's defeat to be merely a blip.

Although Paunovic's men have rarely dominated games this campaign, they've been extremely efficient in front of goal and scored four times from just four shots on target against Blackburn seven days ago. The form of the mercurial Lucas Joao has played a significant role in their upturn in form, with the Portuguese creator having scored six times, and provided three assists so far. He's also averaging two shots on target per game, and as demonstrated on Friday evening, he's able to create opportunities when there appears to be virtually nothing on.

Preston's miserable home form continues, with Alex Neil's side going down 2-1 at Deepdale on Saturday afternoon. Despite another disappointing loss, the Lilywhites netted their first home goal of the season, with Jayden Stockley's long distance effort getting them off the mark for the campaign. In stark contrast, the club's away form is fantastic, and they will come into this contest full of confidence. They've netted at least twice in each of their last three away trips, and they have very few problems creating goalscoring opportunities outside of Lancashire.

Daniel Johnson continues to impress in the centre of the park, whilst Josh Harrop had a much better game on Saturday despite ending up on the losing side. Fans have accused Neil's men of moving the ball too slowly in recent weeks, yet they appear to play with far more freedom on the road. The Scot admits that it's already been a 'rollercoaster of a season', and wants his side to forget about the home hoodoo for the time being.

The visitors have shown enough on the road to suggest that they can find the back of the net in this contest, and Reading's injury problems at the back point towards yet another open game on Wednesday evening. It should be a very entertaining 90 minutes, and both teams should pour forward at every opportunity. Both Teams to Score is available at 9/10 on the Sportsbook and with the hosts having conceded five times in their last two outings, they are unlikely to keep a clean sheet against one of the division's most efficient travellers.

You can follow Jack Critchley on Twitter @jcritch7