Huddersfield v Burnley: Goals forecast for Championship curtain-raiser

Mark O'Haire
28 July 2022
3 min read

Vincent Kompany takes charge of Burnley for the first time

Huddersfield Town vs Burnley
Fri 29 Jul, 20:00

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The new Championship campaign gets underway on Friday night as losing play-off finalists Huddersfield host recently-relegated Burnley. Mark O'Haire analyses the odds.

"With the away side still in the midst of transition, the opportunity to support Both Teams To Score at 1.9010/11 appeals considering the circumstances across both squads"

Rookie at the reigns of Huddersfield

Huddersfield were 90 minutes away from reaching the Premier League back in May but the Terriers were narrowly beaten in the Championship play-off final last season and have undergone an overhaul this summer. Head coach Carlos Corberan opted to walk away from the John Smith's Stadium and Town have also seen a number of key players depart.

Danny Schofield takes the reigns in his first senior management role after working under Corberan as his assistant manager but the rookie chief will be without six of Huddersfield's starting XI from the Wembley finale, including standout stars Lewis O'Brien and Harry Toffolo. Meanwhile, Matty Pearson picked up an injury in Town's last pre-season outing.

The Terriers aren't expected to be involved in the top-six shakeup this term but Schofield insists his squad will be ready for the big kick-off, saying: "I think we're almost there with the idea of the first XI for Friday now, there's obviously areas where we want improve but we've had a very short pre-season, we crammed lots of things in physically and tactically."

Burnley begin new era

After six successive seasons in the Premier League, Burnley's top-flight stint came to a close in May. The Clarets have seen defensive mainstays James Tarkowski, Ben Mee and Nathan Collins all depart, while England international goalkeeper Nick Pope has also moved on to pastures new, with the Turf Moor outfit in the midst of a major transition.

Inexperienced head coach Vincent Kompany has taken over the reigns with the Belgian legend looking to oversee a move towards a more possession-centric style. The smart signing of League One star Scott Twine signals Burnley intent and the Clarets head into Friday with Dwight McNeil, Ashley Barnes and Jay Rodriguez still in situ.

Nevertheless, Kompany admits the opening encounter is an 'unknown' for his side. He said: "Pre-season is all about getting fit and no injuries. We have a lot of new faces and we will have to blend them in over the season. For me to be sure that the first game will be everything perfect, I doubt it, but we will try and get a result and buy ourselves time."

Market unable to split the pair

Huddersfield are winless in each of their last seven league meetings with Burnley (W0-D3-L4), going back to November 2013, although this is the first league meeting between the two since 2019. The Terriers have been beaten in each of their most recent three season openers, whilst the losing play-off finalists have lost their last two curtain-raising contests.

Huddersfield 2.8615/8 started 2021/22 slowly, finding their range from December. The Terriers tabled only eight triumphs in their first 22 tussles and were turned over twice in their first four home fixtures. Nevertheless, Town concluded the campaign with the second-highest points haul as hosts (W13-D6-L4) despite winning just once here against the top-seven.

Burnley 2.767/4 begin a brand new era knowing they must improve on their travels if a sustained promotion bid is to come to fruition. The Clarets registered only two victories on the road during their doomed Premier League campaign, managing a sole success when visiting fellow bottom-half scrappers, numbers Vincent Kompany is keen to address.

Huddersfield Town

Burnley

Birmingham City 2 1 Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town 0 1 Burnley
Huddersfield Town 0 1 Nottingham Forest
Huddersfield Town 1 0 Luton Town
Luton Town 1 1 Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town 2 0 Bristol City

Burnley 1 1 Luton Town
Huddersfield Town 0 1 Burnley
Burnley 1 2 Newcastle United
Aston Villa 1 1 Burnley
Tottenham Hotspur 1 0 Burnley
Burnley 1 3 Aston Villa

Huddersfield Town vs Burnley Friday 29 July, 20:00

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Goals forecast for Friday night

Huddersfield matches tended to follow a low-scoring approach under Carlos Corberan. The Terriers former supremo favoured a rock-solid defensive system and a pragmatic approach. Only two teams totalled more Championship clean sheets than Town's 19 last term with 11/23 (48%) teams failing to score when visiting the John Smith's Stadium.

Burnley followed a similar blueprint for the most part of their six-year stay in the top-flight, although the Clarets are undergoing a shift towards a more attack-minded system. And with the away side still in the midst of transition, the opportunity to support Both Teams To Score here at 1.9010/11 appeals considering the circumstances across both squads.

Those looking to squeeze more out of the goals markets can head to the BetBuilder on the Sportsbook where 2.65 is available for Over 2.5 Goals, Both Teams To Score and a Goal Scored in Both Halves.

Mark's 2021/22 Profit/Loss

Staked: 135 pts

Returned: 151.63 pts

P/L: +16.63 pts

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